En Exclusiva: Edward James Olmos & Warner Bros. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage

By Elis T. Ortiz

Let's face it, Latinos don't need much incentive to set off a good fiesta. But as of tomorrow, we'll have a very legitimate excuse para estar de escandalosos for the next month, as we honor our Hispanic Heritage from September 15 through October 15!

In addition to the many reasons we already have for celebrating our all-around wonderfulness, Warner Brothers is joining in on the merriment by offering a one-of-a-kind package of the best movies by Hispanic actors and filmmakers ever made! Whether you're a fan of Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth," can't get enough of watching Marc and JLo in "El Cantante," or perhaps seeing Javier Bardem in "The Sea Inside" is more your flavor, Warner Bros. te brinda todas estas películas y muchas más, available in a special Hispanic Heritage themed presentation via On Demand (Cable). For all you tech savvy consumers, all of the films will also be available for download via iTunes. We're predicting some "Stand and Deliver" viewing parties in the near future!

"Stand and Deliver" photo via Warner Bros.

Speaking of "Stand and Deliver," know who else is just as excited about this Warner Brothers presentation? Uno de los orgullos más grandes que tenemos en el cine norteamericano, our very own Mexican American sire of the cinemas, Edward James Olmos. He's convinced that Latinos are probably the biggest consumers of technological media, so he knows we'll be all over these flicks, both ordering and downloading, maybe at the same time. 

"Selena" photo via Warner Bros.

Part of this special Warner Bros. hook-up will be two of EJ's most famous films, "Selena" and, you guessed it, "Stand and Deliver." We spoke at length with Mr. Olmos about his amazing career, his love for the arts, and how he celebrates su herencia mexicana in an exclusive interview.

Check out some of our entrevista exclusiva with Edward James Olmos after the jump!

 Cuando le preguntamos which of his many roles was his favorite, he responded, "I'd have to say that's like asking me which one of my six kids I like the most." Among his top favorites, he named 1982's "Ballad of Gregorio Cortez," playing El Pachuco in 1981's "Zoot Suit," and the role of Montoya Santana in his 1992 directorial debut "American Me."

Para muchos de nosotros, however, it's impossible to look at Edward James Olmos without immediately thinking of his role as Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. in the 1997 film "Selena," or his Academy Award nominated role as  Jaime Escalante in 1988's "Stand and Deliver." Both of these memorable biofilms were based on true events with big cultural impacts. In the first, he played the devoted father of one of the biggest music icons in Latino pop culture, the gone-too-soon tejano music superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. The latter is the most viewed movie in the U.S., still used in high school classrooms across the country to inspire both students and teachers.

Jaime Escalante, whom Olmos calls "one of the most influential people of the twentieth century," was a Bolivian-born immigrant turned legendary high school calculus teacher. When school administrators wanted Escalante to dumb down his math classes for underprivileged East LA students, he instead dared them to rise to the challenge and prove everyone wrong. Now a Warner Brothers classic, Olmos says of the film, "by us being able to tell his story, we were able to motivate and inspire teachers as well as students." He believes in the power of film as a tool to influence and enlighten, which is what makes "Stand and Deliver" so effective in communicating "the heart of what teaching really is."

As if he could possibly get any cooler, Olmos is also a huge music fan. No se puede imaginar un mundo sin nuestra música, comprised of incredible artists such as Santana and Tito Puente. Art is in everything we are as a culture, so it's important for his family to be exposed to these greats, as well as other tradiciones mexicanas such as the amazing food and recognizing el Día de los Muertos.

Olmos belives that "looking at our art forms is the only way to understand who we are," and there's no better way to keep our arts alive, than to support Latino projects. Gracias a Warner Bros. for celebrating Hispanic Heritage month right along with us, and bringing us some of the best Latino films of all time (excuse our Kanye voice, we're still on VMA mode)! 

In case you were wondering how Edward James Olmos will be celebrating Mexico's 200 years of independence, well, he told us he's been invited to hang out con el presidente de Mexico, Felipe Calderón. We're pretty sure that's gonna be one heck of a reventón alla en el DF. ¡A todo dar, que lo disfrutes EJ!

Which are your favorite Latino films? Let us know in the comments or give us a shout @MTV3!

Tags Edward James Olmos, El Cantante, Felipe Calderon, Guillermo del Toro, Hispanic Heritage Month, iTunes, Jaime Escalante, Javier Bardem, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Mexican Independence Day, Pan's Labyrinth, Selena, Stand and Deliver, The Sea Inside, Warner Brothers