From: Beyond Chron

Last week, the New York Times reported that CNN “continued what has become a precipitous decline in ratings for its prime-time programs in the first quarter of 2010, with its main hosts losing almost half their viewers in a year.” CNN executives insisted “they will not change their approach to prime-time programs, which are led by hosts not aligned with any partisan point of view.”

But CNN’s chief problem is not a lack of partisanship. Instead, it is that CNN’s “news” primarily consists of opinions from partisan political hacks. Most work for CNN because no candidate wants to hire them, and it’s an easy gig because they don’t have to know much about the subjects they pontificate about. Does CNN really believe viewers are still interested in the opinions of the corporate-funded James Carville? Or that CNN will steal viewers from FOX News by hiring Erick Erickson of Redstate.com, who publicly threatened to shoot census workers? CNN is failing because it’s selling stale conventional wisdom, which viewers are rejecting.

CNN’s strategy of delivering news via the opinions of self-defined political “consultants” continues to turn off viewers. But CNN wrongly believes that the network is insufficiently partisan, which contributes to its refusal to change course.

It’s the Pundits, Stupid

CNN’s fundamental problem is this: the diverse opinions of political consultants does not constitute “news.” Instead, it constitutes “spin,” which immediately leads many viewers to change the channel.

That’s why Bill O’Reilly of FOX News describes his show as a “no spin” zone. Regardless of the term’s inaccuracy in this case, FOX understands that people enjoy opinions but hate “spin.”

But CNN thinks the public wants to hear from self-identified Republican and Democratic Party political consultants. The idea is that on CNN, viewers get “both sides” – when in fact the public does not trust anyone promoting themselves as a “political consultant,” often a polite term for party hack.

I’m pretty informed about politics, yet CNN regularly brings on alleged political experts whose names are entirely unfamiliar. One has no idea what campaigns – if any – they have successfully managed, and why their opinions should be valued.

When CNN does bring on a known pundit that has run a winning campaign, like James Carville, it seems to have forgotten that he has not been politically relevant for over a decade. Carville earns a living from corporate speaking fees, books, teaching, and consulting with candidates who seek to use American-style political methods abroad.

Try to think of the last time James Carville was the lead strategist on a successful political campaign in the United States. And while the face offs with his ideologically opposite wife, Mary Matalin, were interesting in the 1990’s, that shtick has long exceeded its freshness date.

Latinos Need Not Apply

If CNN wanted to recover the many Latino viewers who ditched the network over its continued promotion of the anti-Latino Lou Dobbs, it could have added to its broadcasts a scholar and/or activist who knows Latino politics. But the last Latino commentator I saw on CNN was a Cuban-American Republican consultant, which hardly reflects a Latino constituency that voted 78% for Democrats in 2008.

Rather than offer viewers the thoughts of someone immersed in the politics of a constituency whose votes swing elections in multiple states, the newest entrant in the CNN punditocracy is Erick Erickson. Erickson provides no viewpoint that cannot be found 24/7 on FOX News, or on the Limbaugh, Levin or Hannity radio shows.

Is CNN really so foolish to believe that Erickson will bring viewers from FOX? And considering that CNN likely hired Erickson because of his extreme views – he threatened to confront census workers at his door with “my wife’s shotgun” – it is easy to see why more moderate viewers are fleeing CNN in droves.

CNN is Not Trusted

In an August 2008 Pew Research poll, respondents found CNN to be the “most believable” news organization. CNN has long advertised itself as the “most trusted” news source, so why has its main hosts lost nearly half their audience from 2009 to 2010?

Part of the answer is that while CNN was deemed the most credible, only 30% of respondents found it so. In other words, the vast majority did not find CNN or any its competitors credible news sources, which means that “believability” is not where CNN should have hitched its marketing.

But I think another part of the answer is that the chief CNN news anchors – Campbell Brown, Anderson Cooper, and Wolf Blitzer – are either not trusted, or do not inspire viewer loyalty.

Campbell Brown’s husband, Dan Senor, is a partner in a private equities investment firm, a frequent contributor to FOX News and the Wall Street Journal, and was formerly the chief spokesperson for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. In light of her husband’s business activities, Brown is a walking financial and political conflict of interest.

Brown could get away with these conflicts at FOX News or CNBC, but she is a bad fit for a network that is marketing itself as the most “objective.” (Brown’s most recent quarter had its lowest ratings ever).

Anderson Cooper did a great job covering Hurricane Katrina, but takes an oddly dispassionate approach to news. When a major political event is unfolding, are you eager to find out how Anderson Cooper is covering it? Does anyone rush to their television to get Cooper’s take on the latest breaking story?

The fact is that fewer and fewer people care what Cooper feels about any subject, which is why his audience is plummeting.

Wolf Blitzer is handed news to read and then offers little in the way of new insights. Neither he nor his sidekick, Jack Cafferty, will generate viewers in that critical 25-to-54 demographic.

CNN vs. FOX vs. MSNBC

Since FOX is the network for the Republican Party, its broadcasters do not impact its news ratings. But the reason MSNBC is outdoing CNN is not simply because progressives prefer its more liberal slant on the news.

Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow are vastly more interesting and more informed news hosts than are the CNN trio discussed above. Ed Schultz expresses a passion for issues not found on CNN, and Chuck Todd is far more engaging than his CNN counterpart, John King.

The only MSNBC prime-time figure that seems more like a CNN host is Chris Matthews, whose audience has not spiked like Olberman and Maddow. Not coincidentally, Matthews is alone among the MSNBC crew in using long discredited pundits like the racist and anti-Semitic Pat Buchanan.

CNN needs a lineup change, as boring people drive away viewers regardless of their politics.

Popularity: 17% [?]

From: Bild.com

Latino popstar Ricky Martin has revealed on his website that he is gay.

The 38-year-old singer said he had been inspired to out himself by his twin baby sons.
He had previously alluded to being bisexual, but finally confirmed on his website that he is gay, saying he is “proud” of who he is.
Writing on his official site, rickymartinmusic.com, he said: “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.”
Ricky also revealed the birth of his twin boys Matteo and Valentino in August 2008 – who he had through a surrogate – convinced him to admit his sexuality.
He said: “To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids were born with. Enough is enough. This has to change.
“This was not supposed to happen five or ten years ago, it is supposed to happen now. Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment.”
The Puerto Rican star also insisted he is not worried about people’s reaction to his announcement. He added: “What will happen from now on? It doesn’t matter. I can only focus on what’s happening to me in this moment.
“The word ‘happiness’ takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process.”
The singer – famous for songs like ‘She Bangs’ and ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’ – also revealed people had tried to stop him from coming out, saying it would destroy his career.
“Many people told me, ‘Ricky it’s not important’, ‘it’s not worth it’, ‘all the years you’ve worked and everything you’ve built will collapse’.
“Because all this advice came from people who I love dearly, I decided to move on with my life not sharing with the world my entire truth.
“Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage. Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions.”
The Puerto Rican popstar, whose was born as Enrique Jose Martin Morales, has sold more than 60 million albums.

Popularity: 14% [?]

From: Monsters and Critics

Ugly Betty star America Ferrera has spoken out about prejudice in Hollywood, admitting that she once dyed her hair blonde in a mock attempt to fit in.

The 25-year-old actress made her comments in the latest issue of US magazine, Bust.

She said: ‘There was a part in this movie with this director who shall remain nameless… They were holding off on the female role, depending on if the male role was Latino or not.

‘They didn’t want to put two Latinos in the same movie, because then it would be ‘a Latino movie’.

‘So… I thought if I dyed my hair blonde, I could play anything.”

She added: ‘It was obviously very sarcastic: is it really the colour of my hair or the colour of my skin that’s going to stop you from giving me this role that I could be really good at?

‘So I stripped my hair. I looked f****** crazy.’

Talking abut her role as dowdy Betty in the hit US sitcom, she said: ‘I heard about Ugly Betty – before I was even cast in the role – when Salma [Hayek, the show's producer] came to me and said: ‘I want you to do this’.

‘I just had an intuition that this … show was going to really connect to an audience and I am the right person to do this.

Popularity: 18% [?]

From: LA Times

The disc jockey smiles when he hears Juanita Santos’ raspy voice.

“Art,” she says from her small town near Fresno, “I want you to tell my husband, Juanito, ‘You’re my Chicano king. I’m your booty- licious. I can’t live without you. I’ll never let you go.’ And I want you to blow him a big kiss for me and play ‘You’re My Shining Star.’ ”

“OK, Juanita. Here goes that kiss. . . . Muaah!”

Phone lines flash six nights a week inside a dimly lit Hollywood studio where Art Laboe sits before his microphone, faithful to his old-fashioned format: playing sentimental oldies and taking dedications. For more than 50 years, his deep, soothing voice has been as cherished among Latinos in the Southwest as Chick Hearn’s rapid-fire staccato once was among Lakers fans.

Listeners with nicknames such as Mr. Porky, Lil’ Crazy, Big Papi, Bullet, Bugsy and Payasa call in from Oxnard, Riverside and Boyle Heights; from Phoenix, Albuquerque and Nevada. They are lonely women, rueful men, rapt lovers, entire families with squeaky-voiced children who ask Laboe to wish their grandmothers good night.

The 84-year-old disc jockey helps them celebrate anniversaries, mourn their dead and profess their love. He is the intermediary who reconciles arguments, encourages couples to be affectionate, sends out birthday wishes and thank yous.

His program, which is especially popular among listeners 25 to 54 years old, has consistently ranked near the top of its evening time slot, according to the ratings firm Arbitron. The Art Laboe Connection plays in more than a dozen cities in four states and draws about a million listeners a week.

“His show was the first place a young Chicano kid had to air his feelings, the first place you could say something and be heard,” said Ruben Molina, author of two books on Chicano music and American culture. “It was like an intercom where you could tell the world — our world — ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘I love so-and-so’ and everyone knew the next day.”

Messages arrive by phone, a few by mail. Sometimes Laboe reads them on the air:

Her name is Ana Ivette Vasquez and I want to let her know that I’m really sorry for doing her wrong, for all the tears she dropped and pain I put her through. I want to dedicate you this song from deep down in my heart: “I Need Love.”

Other times he plays the recorded voices of listeners, who speak to him as to an old friend, often in a broken English laced with gangster slang.

I want to hear “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” for all the firme homies from Orange County, from their homie Dreamer. I want to tell them to keep their head up and stay strong.

“He is more Chicano than some Chicanos,” said comedian Paul Rodriguez, who grew up listening to Laboe. “And everyone from the toughest vato to the wimpiest guy would say the same.”

::

Laboe eases into his leather chair just before the 7 p.m. start of his broadcast on HOT 92.3 FM. Tea and cough medicine are within reach. His producer, Tom Peniston, sits across a radio mixing board, munching on a sandwich.

The light blinks with the evening’s first call:

This dedication is to Marcela Baca. I wish the family would just stop fighting. I wish we could all get along. This is Alex in Phoenix, Arizona. . . . .I want to play that song “So” by War.

Laboe comes to life on the microphone. He’ll prod a shy caller to declare his feelings. He’ll blush when another gushes, “Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m really talking to you!”

He observes rules that he says keep him in business: Never flirt with a woman or call her “baby” or “honey” because it drives away male callers. Never ask if a caller is in prison — it’s not polite. Some in his audience have come to speak in a sort of code, referring to cities that hint that their loved one is incarcerated.

I want to dedicate “The Ship Won’t Sail Without You” to my husband, Big, in Chino from Roxanne. I love you and I’ll be up that way tomorrow.

Most important, the disc jockey never judges his listeners.

“Here’s somebody . . . . who might feel that what they have going on is of little importance in life,” Laboe said. “And now they come on the radio and their voice goes out to the whole world.”

Laboe, just over 5 feet tall, has bulging eyes, bushy brows and a prominent nose. As a boy, he always was the loner, the Armenian kid other students barely noticed, especially girls.

Drawn by the anonymity of radio, Laboe started his own amateur station in 1938 out of his bedroom in South Los Angeles. He was 13. Back then, he was Art Egnoian and he had recently moved to California from Utah to live with his sister.

“The radio opened up new doors for a guy who wasn’t a big, good-looking hunk,” he said.

After serving in World War II, he did stints at various radio stations and changed his name to Laboe when a general manager said it was catchier. When rock ‘n’ roll struck in the 1950s, Laboe launched a live broadcast from Scrivners, a drive-in restaurant in Hollywood. Masses of teens crowded around him to request songs and dedications, and his career took off.

He wanted to be a concert promoter, bring in big bands. But the city of Los Angeles banned youths younger than 18 from attending public dances and concerts. So he decided to host shows in El Monte, which attracted teenagers from the Eastside and its growing Mexican American population.

Latinos poured in to see Chuck Berry, Ray Charles and Jerry Lee Lewis at the now-defunct El Monte Legion Stadium. Laboe played the rhythm-and-blues and doo-wop these youths craved. He compiled his fans’ favorite songs on vinyl records, eight-tracks, cassette tapes and ultimately compact discs featuring Mexican American acts. He learned to pronounce Spanish names.

“It was never intentional,” Laboe said. “The connection was there and when they came, I welcomed them with open arms.”

Laboe became part of the emerging Chicano identity in Los Angeles, his voice and music the soundtrack of lowrider shows and nights spent cruising Whittier Boulevard. He is the only non-Latino selected as grand marshal of the East L.A. Christmas parade and is a favored award recipient among Latino organizations. At their functions, he says, he is often “the only white guy in the room.”

These days he descends from his Hollywood Hills home in a black Jaguar and lunches at the Chateau Marmont.

His home decor features a nude portrait of Marilyn Monroe hanging above his bed, made up in pink-and-white sheets. A giant oil painting of his deceased cat, Baby, is the focal point of the living room. Motivational sayings written on Post-It notes (If you believe in your power to do great things, you will) share space on his refrigerator door with doctor’s notices detailing the symptoms of a stroke.

He has lived in the home, mostly alone, since 1964, when he and his second wife, a Las Vegas showgirl, divorced. Most of his relatives, with the exception of two older sisters, have died. “My listeners,” he said, “they are like a family.”

Regular Laboe listeners include middle-age mothers and high-ranking politicians in the state Capitol. His fans identify with the melodramatic songs he plays the way Tennesseans identify with country music. Some callers express themselves in Laboe-isms, parroting the lyrical verses heard on the oldies show.

I want to tell him to ‘Smile now, cry later’ because ‘I will always be there for you.’

State Sen. Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) remembers cruising through Boyle Heights with Antonio Villar (later Villaraigosa) in the future mayor’s canary yellow 1964 Chevy, bumping Laboe’s music. It was the early 1970s, and Laboe was everyone’s favorite uncle in the neighborhood, he said.

“There was no place else to be,” Cedillo said, “but right there, listening to his music.”

::

The crowd roars as Laboe steps onstage.

“We love you, Art!” young women yell in unison from their seats.

“You’re the man!” the men holler.

It is the last hour of the Art Laboe Show LIVE concert in San Bernardino in September, and about 13,000 people, nearly all of them Latinos, are packed into the San Manuel Amphitheater.

Tattooed teenagers in baggy clothes sway in their seats alongside grandparents and children. Many slow-dance in the aisles and sing out loud as Evelyn “Champagne” King, the Manhattans and other acts perform songs that Laboe has helped keep alive.

The disc jockey emerges from backstage to introduce the last act. He is in his sixth suit of the evening, a gold polyester number that shimmers under red and yellow lights. He looks out into the audience and blows kisses.

“What a night! And it’s not over yet. Wait till you see what we have coming up next.”

Many of his fans, seeing his enthusiasm and hearing his vibrant voice, would never imagine the man on stage is almost 85.

“What is he?” asks a 16-year-old concertgoer. “I think 54. Or 63? . . . 61?”

No matter his age, Laboe has no plans to quit any time soon. He wants to syndicate his show in more states, enter the Radio Hall of Fame and learn how to use Twitter.

Yet radio is not the draw it once was. The recording studio he bought in the early 1960s no longer makes a profit and is up for sale. Some nights, a tired Laboe heads out early, leaving recorded dedications for his producer to read on the air.

Still, if the end of the Art Laboe era is approaching, his fans don’t see it. Or don’t want to believe it.

“I know he won’t live forever,” said Estella “Proxie” Aguirre, 67, a listener since the 1950s. “But I get a lump in my throat just talking about it. I love him like I love my husband, except Art Laboe and I never argue.”

Popularity: 23% [?]

From: Entertainment Weekly

Well, not quite. George Lopez made his talk-show-host debut on Lopez Tonight with a bright, loud party that was neither revolutionary in format nor a laugh-a-minute, but it had a lot of energy and established a good mood.
Ellen DeGeneres showed up early on, wearing pyjamas and a sleeping cap. The joke was that she was trying to sleep somewhere nearby and Lopez’s tumultuous band and audience were keeping her awake.
Then she welcomed Lopez to the talk-show fold, said, “Everybody needs to be represented on television,” and had jello shots served to some folks near the stage. Well, Lopez did yell at the top of the show, “The revolution starts right now!,” didn’t he? Who knew it would come complete with jello shots?
Lopez, looking sharp, like the long-lost Latino Rat Pack member in a tight black suit, seemed perfectly at ease shouting his jokes over the frequent cheers of an audience who rarely sat down during the hour. His opening monologue was a combination of crowd-flattery (“This is what America looks like!”) and the kind of jokes you probably wouldn’t hear from, say, Conan O’Brien: “50 Cent has a fragrance called ‘Power’– it smells like illegitimate children and gun-powder.”
Lopez Tonight wasn’t necessarily funnier than the other talk show that debuted in the past week — The Wanda Sykes Show — but it had a more polished surface, and two things in common with Sykes. Lopez and his Latino heritage play as important a part in his humor as being black does for Sykes, and both have announced their intentions to bust open the white-boys club of late-night.
The opening-night guests here included Kobe Bryant, Carlos Santana, and Eva Longoria Parker. Guess which guest was invited to wriggle around on a stripper-pole? (Not that this was sexist or anything — Lopez himself took a turn on the pole.)
While some of Lopez’s jokes seemed pretty random (“Even Glenn Beck is black in bed”), he maintained an air of controlled celebration that was fun. As an interviewer, Lopez lobs the softballs that are standard for most of the white men (to Bryant: “Do you know how beloved you are?”), but he already has a disarming, relaxed air that puts him ahead of, say, Jimmy Fallon’s jittery opening night.
Lopez Tonight, which will air Monday through Thursdays on TBS, will take a while, as all talk shows must, to reveal its true quality. But for once I don’t have to write that it will take the Lopez show a while to find its groove. With its heavy use of good music from his house band, that’s one thing Lopez has already accomplished.

Popularity: 22% [?]

From: The Arizona Republic

George Lopez has proved himself to be a concert headliner. The Richard Pryor disciple is equally popular on TV with his self-titled sitcom ending a healthy six-season run two years ago.

His next challenge? The 48-year-old comic is launching “Lopez Tonight,” a late-night talk show that takes some inspiration from early ’90s fave “The Arsenio Hall Show.” During a recent phone call, Lopez promised a party atmosphere and a possible guest star from the U.S. Supreme Court on his show, which premieres tonight.

Question: You mention Arsenio Hall in a lot of the show’s publicity. Is that the kind of feeling you want the show to have?

Answer: It will have that kind of vibe. Because of viral (marketing) - the MySpace, the Facebook, Twitter - there is more diversity. Arsenio was very Black and White. Now, you’ve thrown in Asian, Middle Eastern, Latino. White and Black are really blending together well with Latino.

Q: You seem to be really using viral marketing to promote the show.

A: Look at what Barack Obama did with it, and what John McCain didn’t do with it. Since I donated to Obama, as soon as he was done speaking, I’d get a message from him on the BlackBerry. It’s a great way to get the message out. It’s the one thing everyone has now: It’s either on them, on their desk or in their house. You have your phone on even before your TV is on.

Q: It seems vital if you’re trying to reach a young audience.

A: Young people aren’t watching the news. I think I can offer them a little bit more color, high energy, a faster pace than what’s on TV. Very much like Arsenio did. People that got it watched it, and people that really didn’t get it watched it to see what everybody else was talking about.

Q: Arsenio is such an influence. Will you have him as a guest?

A: I hope so. I’ve talked to him. I’ve known him for 20 years. A couple of months back, all the ladies in church were telling him about how nice I was talking about him.

Q: You played at the White House recently. Did you ask Obama to guest?

A: I did. I asked him and Michelle and (Supreme Court Justice) Sonia Sotomayor. I think I’d be the most excited if Sotomayor did it, because she speaks to so few people.

Q: What do you think of the other talk-show hosts?

A: I love Jimmy (Fallon). I’ve been on his show, and he’s great. Craig Ferguson is making some serious headway. And I’ve always been a fan of David Letterman. He’s the king.

Q: Are you worried about competing?

A: Well, I start at 11, which is good because it’s not the same time as Letterman.

Q: Growing up, you didn’t see a lot of Hispanics on TV. Do you feel pressure now being so visible and such a role model?

A: I appreciate that (people) want someone to say, “We belong here, too.” Kids want to aspire to be one of their own. All my idols were African-American. All the baseball players I liked were Black, and the comedian I liked was Black. Now, if you’re a 10-year-old kid, you can say, “Hey, I want to be George Lopez,” or Mario Lopez or Manny Ramirez or Eva Longoria. You can say, “Hey, I want to win an Oscar like Penélope Cruz.”

Q: Was it difficult coming up in the business when Hispanics weren’t so visible?

A: Look at the way I look. I’m not passable. If I looked like Mario Lopez, I don’t know if I would have worked as hard. With beauty, the door opens a little bit wider. I didn’t have that luxury. I had to be funny and self-deprecating (laughing). It took me forever.

Popularity: 22% [?]

From: The Envelope

Calle 13, the Puerto Rican half-sibling, alt-hip-hop duo, is a group that hardly needs more accolades to make its presence known. If not at the pinnacle of their careers, the stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar, the lead singer known as Residente, and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez, a.k.a. Visitante, surely are entering into Andean altitudes.

Building on their huge Puerto Rican following, they’ve been playing to sell-out crowds in South America and the United States. Already a multiple Latin Grammy and one-time Grammy award winner, Calle 13 leads the pack of this year’s Latin Grammy nominees with five.

Among the trophies the duo might haul home from tonight’s ceremony at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas are those for album of the year (”Los De Atrás Vienen Conmigo”), record of the year (”No Hay Nadie Como Tú”) and best short form music video, for “La Perla,” with Ruben Blades, one of tonight’s presenters. Calle 13 also is gaining traction with non-Latino listeners; among its recent U.S. gigs was a 2008 performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Yet, speaking by phone recently from Venezuela, where he was on tour, Residente said he was grateful that he and other Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking artists have their own separate event from the Grammy Awards. The Latin Grammys, with 49 categories, targets artists across a spectrum of styles, including reggaeton, cumbia, ranchera and religious music.

The Grammys, with only a handful of Latin categories, necessarily lumps many disparate artists into one thick cultural pozole.

“Music is music, but it’s good we have a separate award,” Residente said. “They [the Grammy Awards] try to incorporate everything, from Mana to Calle 13, and it’s crazy.”

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Latin Grammy Awards has found a comfortable niche between registering shifting Latino musical tastes and sensibilities while catering to an awareness that more non-Latinos, both in the United States and elsewhere, are listening to Spanish- and Portuguese-language music.

The show’s presenter, the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, no longer feels compelled to argue for its right to a spot in America’s saturated entertainment-awards cosmos. And the awards themselves, now broadcast on the Spanish-language Univision Network, have become a lavish, commercially lucrative affair that reflects the growing importance of U.S. Latinos, who as of 2007 made up 15.5% of the nation’s population, both as a political and consumer force.

But if the awards have grown to fill out their ambitious expectations, the academy remains a relatively lean operation, said its president, Gabriel Abaroa. Each year, he said, its core staff of 10 people relies heavily on a group of about 350 volunteers to listen to and classify all the recordings. The more money the organization saves on overhead costs, said Abaroa, the more it can focus on identifying and promoting new talent.

“Every single day that an office closes, the last person goes and turns out all the lights and shuts all the computers,” Abaroa said. “All the staff that works for the Latin Recording Academy came from Third World countries, where crisis is an everyday word. You learn to be very conservative.”

In some ways, the Latin music industry has had to rethink its future in the decade since the Latin Grammys and the academy were launched. Back then, the conventional wisdom was that “the crossover moment had arrived,” as Ricky Martin and other artists scored a handful of monster English-language pop hits, Abaroa said. “Ricky delivered the perfect punch at the perfect time in the perfect world.”

But that crossover phenomenon never fully arrived, and since then the academy has “become more rootsy, we have gone more to the roots,” Abaroa maintained. This was possible in part, he believes, because “the American public is accepting much more that someone can sing in Spanish.”

Despite the accelerating mainstreaming of Latino culture — or, if you like, the Latinization of U.S. popular culture — the Latin Academy seeks to maintain the legitimacy of Latin, non-English music as a distinct cultural entity. That goal is reflected in its stiff rules governing the proportion of Spanish- or Portuguese-language content that recordings must have in order to be nominated.

For any song category, at least 75% of the lyrics must be in Spanish or Portuguese. Album recordings in all categories must have at least 51% Spanish or Portuguese lyrical content. “You want to make sure the album is as pure as possible in the use of Spanish or Portuguese. It has to respect the poetry,” Abaroa said.

Tomas Cookman, president and owner of North Hollywood-based Cookman International and Nacional Records, said that although Latino artists and listeners do care about the Latin Grammys, winning an award seldom does much for a record’s sales.

“You don’t see those spikes that you do in the general market,” said Cookman, whose company’s nominated artists this year include Chocquibtown, Hello Seahorse! and Los Amigos Invisibles. “If Norah Jones comes out and wins five Grammys, the next week you’ll see sales spike.”

One reason for the absence of such an effect, Cookman said, is that over the years the number of Latino music awards shows has proliferated, both in the U.S. and in Latin American countries, competing for television audiences’ attentions. Also, he suggested, the sheer number of musical styles can seem daunting. “There’s categories in the Brazilian [music] that I hadn’t even heard of,” he said.

Cookman thinks that the Latin Grammys might be most useful in bestowing a seal of approval to a Latino artist within the non-Latino market. As an example of how the Latin Grammys isn’t always in step with the music world it represents, he pointed to Aventura, a Dominican American Bachata(music) quartet from the Bronx.

“They’re selling out concerts at Madison Square Garden and hanging out with Obama,” Cookman said. “They didn’t get one nomination. When you see some of the artists that got nominated over them, you scratch your head and go, ‘What?!’ ”

But for artists in lesser-known, lower-sales categories, winning a Latin Grammy can be a blessing, literally, said Paulina Aguirre, a nominee for the second time in the category of best album of Christian music for her “Esperando Tu Voz.”

Aguirre immigrated to Los Angeles six years ago after putting herself through music conservatory by teaching and working as a Hilton hotel hostess in her hometown of Quito, Ecuador. She said that she supported herself by doing vocal session work for such artists as Luis Miguel and Gloria Trevi, and dubbing and voice-overs for TV shows such as “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Now she and her husband, Pablo Aguirre, operate their own Northridge-based recording label, Mucho Fruto. She believes that she is the first artist from Ecuador to be nominated for a Latin Grammy.

“I didn’t watch [the Latin Grammys] for a long time because it made me sad,” she said. “One day I was praying and said, ‘God, if you want me to be a teacher or whatever you want me to be, just give me the passion.’ ”

She stuck with singing and won her first Latin Grammy in 2007 for her recording “Mujer de Fe” (Woman of Faith).

“God answered my prayers,” Aguirre said. “It’s important, because all things that elevate the culture of a country and a language can help Latinos to achieve more.”

Popularity: 22% [?]

From: The Denver Post

The Fort Collins family whose experimental balloon caused a global sensation Thursday insisted this morning on national television that the incident was never a hoax and they all believed 6-year-old Falcon was aboard and in danger.

The boy, his parents and his two brothers all appeared live this morning on national networks - CBS, NBC, and ABC — in interviews from their home.

All the interviews touched on the question of whether the incident was staged, to garner publicity for the family who had made reality TV appearances earlier.

During a CNN interview on Thursday night, a statement by Falcon - “You had said that we did this for a show” — fueled the question of the day: Accident or hoax?

Heene, the boy’s father, told TV audiences this morning that Falcon was talking about TV cameramen who were outside the home Thursday, covering the runaway flight and then Falcon being found safe in the home.
“That’s what he was talking about - the show,” Heene said.

All three boys looked a bit tired this morning, sometimes stifling yawns.

On ABC’s Good Morning America, Falcon became ill, getting up from a chair and racing to a bathroom where he could be heard in the background throwing up.

The family released video this morning, taken by 10-year-old Bradford, of the balloon escaping from their yard Thursday.

Both parents were present and Richard Heene is visibly upset, raising his voice in anger as he twists and kicks a wooden frame that had been supporting the balloon.

Heene told TV viewers he was upset because he thought his wife, Mayumi, had tethered the balloon, but she hadn’t.

“I just saw him (Falcon) go under the flying saucer,” Bradford said on ABC. “I saw him go under it and I saw the door shut.”

On The CBS Early show Falcon was asked if he was in the balloon: “Yea, and then I got out.”

He said he “went to the attic to play.”

Falcon said he eventually came out of the attic on his own.
The boys have hiding places all over the home, Richard Heene said. The family plans to discuss the hiding places.

“The kids like to hide in cabinets. They hide behind the sofa. We’d like to know where their hiding places are,” Heene said. “If there is a fire, they can get trapped. There will be no secrets now.”

The family thanked everyone who helped chase down the balloon and who looked for Falcon when they feared he had fell from the sky.

“I can’t believe that many people poured their hearts out and helped,” Heene said.

During the interviews both parents became emotional, each on the verge of tears.

Whether Falcon faces any family discipline over the incident remains to be seen.
“There is no room for that right now,” Henne told Early Show viewers.

Popularity: 25% [?]

Aside from their musical brilliance, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel would, on the surface, seem to have little in common. Salonen is the cool, cerebral Finn; Dudamel the hot, passionate Venezolano. But what they share is the experience of taking the reins of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at outrageously young ages — and the challenges that come with the prestigious appointment.
Salonen was 34 when he took over in 1992; Dudamel is — good grief — 28 as he grabs the Philharmonic’s baton. They were both shrewd choices, perfect fits for the culture of youth that has long defined Los Angeles. But the Philharmonic is betting on Dudamel to do more than lower the average age of the orchestra’s patrons — a big enough challenge in itself.

The Dude is the Great Brown Hope in the biggest, brownest metropolis north of Mexico City. The question is whether Dudamel can turn L.A.’s Latino population — particularly its vast middle class — into symphonygoers. There are already signs of a new approach: The city is blanketed with bilingual billboards and bus-bench ads, and the Philharmonic’s Web site now features a tour of Walt Disney Concert Hall in Spanish.

“Our goal is to engage [Latinos] and create awareness of the L.A. Philharmonic,” says Shana Mathur, vice president of marketing and communications for the orchestra. “Gustavo is the greatest vehicle for developing that relationship. Even if he wasn’t here, as an organization we would have to come to this point. Any arts organization, regardless of programming content, needs to start thinking of this population — how we address and talk to Latinos.”

To that end, the Phil hired alPunto, an Orange County–based Hispanic marketing firm, to help shape the organization’s new approach. The efforts include Spanish-language telemarketing and a bilingual brochure that was mailed to 50,000 Spanish-surnamed households that have disposable income. And then there’s that public-ad campaign, featuring a dramatic image of Dudamel in action and a series of bold one-word messages in Spanish, such as “Pasión.” (One patron wrote to the Philharmonic to point out that it had misspelled “Passion.”)

But all this begs the question: Why is the Los Angeles Philharmonic such a Juanny-come-lately in this regard? Why did it take the appointment of its first Latino music director to prompt such a push in the longtime capital of Mex-America?

“You can’t go to people who have been completely ignored, simply invite them and suddenly expect them to be there,” says Sonia Marie De Leon de Vega, founder and director of the L.A.-based Santa Cecilia Orchestra.

De Leon de Vega, born in Texas but raised in Los Angeles from age 4, started the organization in 1992. She touts it as the country’s only orchestra whose specific mission is to target the Latino community. It does so through a concert series that De Leon de Vega says reaches 20,000 children and their families, and an education program that provides free violin lessons to 250 elementary and junior high students.

“We have six sold-out concerts every year and the audience is 90 percent Latino,” she says. “It’s a population that’s been ignored by the arts.”

So the Philharmonic finds itself playing catch-up on several fronts, but it has revamped its education program by launching the Young Musicians Initiative, designed — according to the Philharmonic’s Web site — to “create a network of community-based youth orchestras in underserved areas of L.A. County.” The initiative is inspired by and modeled after El Sistema, the acclaimed Venezuelan program that produced Dudamel.

But, again, L.A. has had grossly “underserved areas” for a long time — particularly in Latino neighborhoods. Had the orchestra’s leadership possessed the vision to start such a program 20 years ago, it could have eased the pain of arts cuts in schools for an entire generation — and cultivated a community that would today be inclined to attend Philharmonic concerts.

“There are few minorities in orchestras because there is no music in the schools,” De Leon de Vega says. “If you expose kids to culture at a young age, they’ll like it when they’re older.”

The Latino population is younger than the general population, so if the Philharmonic can attract its members, it will address another problem — the ongoing graying of the classical-music audience. Even under the youthful, dynamic Salonen, the orchestra’s audience did not get dramatically younger.

“Our season subscribers have stayed the same age,” Mathur says. “But our Casual Fridays series brings down the average age. And subscribers to our Create Your Own series are quite a bit younger — 55 or so. And when you look at single-ticket buyers, they’re younger. And the Latino target audience is younger. There may be a different point in Latino patrons’ standpoint where they will be ready to become subscribers at a younger age.”

But, as De Leon de Vega points out: “At a time when orchestras are dying off, is it too little, too late?”

Mathur says season-subscription renewals are slightly down but that single-event sales are way up. That could be related to the economy but may also be a reflection of younger patrons who are more inclined to pick and choose. The Philharmonic has been trying in recent years to attract the blue-jean crowd to Walt Disney Concert Hall through orchestral collaborations with the likes of Grizzly Bear and M83. (The orchestra has backed many other rock/pop acts at the Hollywood Bowl, but that’s not exactly a concert-hall experience.) While young, acculturated Latinos are also fans of those hip artists, they may be more frequently drawn to Disney Hall by artists and composers who look like them and share their background. For example, why not pair young singer-songwriters such as Andrea Echeverri and Juana Molina and veteran artists such as Caetano Veloso and Fito Paez with the orchestra in programs that mix classical and pop music?

“There are a lot of professional, accomplished Latinos who have had culture in their life and will be attracted to a young Latino conductor,” De Leon de Vega says. “He will definitely change the Philharmonic into a more open, more welcoming organization.”

The orchestra just has to avoid patronizing its potential Latino audience. But there are smart folks working there. Smart enough to recognize that there are a lot of sophisticated brown folks ’round these parts — and El Dude just could be their Pied Piper.

Popularity: 32% [?]

From: Mysanantonio.com

Jimmy Smits has played a lawyer, a police detective and a U.S. presidential candidate, each role earning him honors and showcasing Latinos on primetime network television.

His most recent award-winning role is that of Miguel Prado, an assistant district attorney in Showtime’s “Dexter.” The role earned Smits his 11th Emmy nomination this year.

Roles such as hotshot lawyer Victor Sifuentes on “L.A. Law,” for which Smits won on Emmy in 1990, and President-elect Matthew Santos on “The West Wing,” for which Smits won an ALMA Award in 2006, have helped changed the perception of Latinos on television.

Twenty years ago, the main images of Latinos on television were those of gang member, maid and drug dealer. The number of roles for Latino actors were scarce; the number of Latinos working behind the camera even scarcer.

“I’ve been acting since 1978 and I can tell you back then there were no Latinos on TV,” said Bel Hernandez, an actress and publisher of Latin Heat, a print and online entertainment magazine that showcases Latinos in the business.

The representation of Latinos on television in recent years, said Hernandez, has improved, with much of the credit for that going to “grass roots” campaigns that urged networks to begin diversity efforts.

National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), an organization founded in 1999 to help ensure Latino representation in mainstream entertainment, is one of 16 Latino advocacy groups that comprise the National Latino Media Council.

The council regularly studies the four major networks’ Latino representation in front of and behind the cameras, and works with networks to help increase diversity on the airwaves.

Kathryn Galan, NALIP executive director, said recent studies show there are more Latino actors and writers working on television today than 10 years ago. There are also more Latino characters on television, including guest spots and regular characters, she said.

There are plenty of reasons why networks should pay attention to diversity, said Galan, including money.

Studies by NALIP and other advocacy groups have shown that diverse casting can help a show succeed. In the television business, success equals advertising dollars.

“When (networks) use multicultural casting on pilots of new series, those have a greater rate of success. They tend to do better with focus groups and get picked up,” Galan said.

One reason for Latinos’ increased television presence is an increase in “color-blind casting,” a term given when characters that could be any race or ethnicity are cast with minority actors. Police procedural dramas, such as the “Law & Order” and “CSI” franchise, and ensemble shows, including “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” tend to use color-blind casting the most, studies show.

Where Latinos’ numbers in entertainment fall short is behind the scenes, directing and producing shows. According to NALIP, Latinos make up less than 1 percent of executive positions in entertainment.

Latinos and other minorities are often the ones that can best understand the need and importance of diversity on television, said Hernandez, who recently launched an online talk show geared toward Latinas.

“These are our role models, the people our children see on a regular basis,” Hernandez said.

The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards air at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, on CBS.

Popularity: 33% [?]