Blogamole › Telenovela Thursdays

By Michael Lopez

It looks like the Latin American novela world will soon be getting a taste of brooding teen vampires. Taking a page out of the Twilight playbook, Televisa's Tiin channel has just announced its newest soap, Luna Roja, originally created in Portugal.

To be honest, we're actually surprised the novela world hasn't capitalized on this trend sooner. Twilight has been huge with international audiences, particularly because of its elements of high drama and forbidden love.

Roja promises to include all that and then some. Set at a strict boarding school, it's got a sexy young Latina, a pale bloodsucker in a trench coat, and plenty of angry humans with big wooden stakes in their hands.

Set to begin airing later this month, we expect Luna Roja to hit big with the goth romance crowd. That is, until Breaking Dawn Part 2 arrives in theaters.

Do you think Twilight would make a good novela? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Breaking Dawn, Luna Roja, Novelas, Television, Tiin, Twilight, vampires

By Michael Lopez

Everyone knows that there was quite a lot of hype going in to the novela, Dos Hogares. It had A-listers like Anahí and Carlos Ponce in the cast, a big budget, and promised plenty of drama. But has it delivered? That may be a tougher question to answer.

Ratings for the late night soap have been "decent," but not spectacular. And let's not forget about the rumored behind-the-scenes drama. There have been stories of cast fights, script changes, and injuries on the set!

Of course, the Hogares producers are constantly assuring the media that everything is "just fine." But actions speak louder than words and adding new cast members out of nowhere can sometimes seem like an act of desperation.

Could Claudia Alvarez' mysterious new character help give the show an extra spark? She is being listed as a possible Anahí rival, which could be quite interesting. Because as we all know, nothing shakes up a novela's ratings like a good old fashioned catfight!

Have you been watching Dos Hogares? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Anahi, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Carlos Ponce, Chisme, Claudia Alvarez, Dos Hogares, Novelas, Television

By Michael Lopez

Rumors started swirling that  Jencarlos Canela, Telemundo Network's rising star, might be planning a move to Univision after he snagged the best new artist award in the rival Network's Premio Lo Nuestro award show. However, the Cuban-American singer and actor has his sight set on far bigger plans: he wants to try his luck in Tinseltown.

From the sound of his recent interview with People en Español, Universal’s film division may have its eye on Canela.

"Me encanta el cine y esta es una gran oportunidad para mi carrera," Jencarlos explained. "Ya tenemos dos películas y la verdad se han presentado algunas oportunidades, pero tenemos que respetar el contrato de exclusividad con Telemundo. En cuanto finalice, no descarto la posibilidad empezar a tocar puertas en Hollywood. De hecho, hemos tenido algunos acercamientos con gente de Universal Pictures."

And right now Jencarlos Canela is fast becoming the “go-to guy” for NBC-Universal. Not only has he released a high-profile single tied in to Universal Pictures’ Hop, he’s scored a lead role in a novela produced by Telemundo (which also happens to be a subsidiary of NBC-Universal).

Though Mi Corazón Insiste hasn’t even begun filming yet, it’s generated plenty of buzz among Spanish soap fans. Following in the footsteps of Telemundo’s massive hit La Reina del Sur, it promises a big budget, an over-the-top storyline, and plenty of Jencarlos – which will definitely have an impact with the female viewers.

It will be Canela's fourth telenovela - it's, Más Sabe el Diablo that's responsible for all the buzz surrounding the handsome 21 year old.

It all sounds very exciting. Who knows? If Canela keeps Universal happy, maybe he’ll even get his own ride at the theme park.

Are you excited about Jencarlos’ upcoming novela? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Hop, Jencarlos Canela, Mi Corazón Insiste, Movies, Novelas, Pecados Ajenos, Telemundo, Universal Studios

By Michael Lopez

It seems strange to associate legendary banda act Los Tigres del Norte with an over-the-top novela, but that’s exactly what the media is doing. And, by the looks of things, the group couldn’t be happier about it. Based on a 2002 Los Tigres song of the same name, La Reina del Sur is now a huge hit for Telemundo and even inspired the band to re-issue the album that featured their classic track.

Telemundo’s La Reina del Sur is currently seen by nearly 3 million viewers and stars Mexican actress Kate del Castillo. As female drug lord Teresa Mendoza, her weekly escapades include gun running, double-crosses, and hot guy lovers who always seem to meet an unfortunate end.

Interestingly, the entire La Reina plot is based on a novel by Arturo Pérez Reverte, which in turn was inspired by the Los Tigres song. One of their most popular tracks ever, the “La Reina” song lyrics tell a similar story about Teresa, the notorious lady outlaw.

The 2002 Los Tigres album that featured the single went on to win a Grammy for Best Mexican Album and was embraced by fans from around the world. Now the group is reissuing the original La Reina record with new artwork and digitally remastered tracks. Set to arrive on April 5, we imagine it will work as a great soundtrack to weekly drama that Kate’s serving up on Telemundo.

Are you a fan of La Reina del Sur? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Arturo Pérez Reverte, Kate Del Castillo, La Reina Del Sur, Los Tigres Del Norte, Música, Novelas, Telemundo

By Michael Lopez

Yes Ugly Betty may be long gone, but fans of the show’s witty tongue-and-cheek style may be in for a treat. The show’s creative team (including producer Salma Hayek Pinault) is now working on translating another novela for ABC!

Image : Getty Images

Salma and her producing partner, Jose Tamez, have gotten the greenlight to create a “re-imagining” of the Argentine soap Los Roldan. Unfortunately there won’t be any brace-faced America Ferreras involved, but reports say it will have plenty of romance and comedy.

And to sweeten the deal for hardcore Betty fans, they’ve even brought back the show’s old writers to help bring the project to life. The plot of the new series will supposedly revolve around a man who saves the life of a rich female executive and, in return, is given control of her company.

Of course, that’s just the overview. There was plenty of other drama in the 2004 Argentine novela (like suicides, illegitimate babies, cheating, and false imprisonments) and we’re hopeful it all gets mixed in there too. Now if we could only convince those execs to make an English version of Juegos Prohibidos!

Source: [Perez Hilton]

What other novelas would you like to see ‘re-imagined’ for America? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Argentina, Los Roldan, Salma Hayek, Salma Hayek Pinault, telenovelas, Television, Ugly Betty

By Michael Lopez

Be honest, how well can you really speak Spanish? Even if you’re completely bilingual, there’s a good chance that your kids (and their kids) will have a tougher time keeping up with Español. In fact, research group, Pew Hispanic Center, is saying that 71% of third-generation Latinos claim English as their dominant language. That’s why it’s no surprise that novelas and other Spanish-language programming are starting to embrace subtitles en inglés.

Image: MTV

It’s an interesting move and is already getting put to use on networks like Telemundo. Well-known novelas like Decisiones Extremas and Amor Descarado have experimented with the process, and though it’s not completely clear whether it led to increased ratings, most fan reaction has been positive.

Of course, others have spoken out against the idea. Thomas Ihde, a professor in the Departments of Languages and Literatures at the City University of New York said,

“The second, third generations are losing something by relying on the subtitles. Subtitles encourage passive knowledge. That's part of the tradition in America: losing our ethnic languages in opting for the majority one."

So the question is, would you want to see white text on the bottom of your screen when you watch Juegos Prohibidos? Even we have to admit some of those characters talk pretty fast (especially Nacho’s dad, does he mumble or what?), and there are plenty of positive benefits from the idea. Like using it as a tool for those trying to learn English, since they could see translations for Spanish phrases and words.

Source: [L.A. Times]

Do you think novelas should have English subtitles? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Cultura, Juegos Prohibidos, telenovelas, Television, Tr3s shows

By Michael Lopez

What do you do when your entire world falls apart? Try to pick up the pieces and start again. Poor Jimena and Nacho are still reeling over their separation and now we’re seeing them “try” to get back to their normal lives. The passion, the fun, the romance is all gone now, as “Guardian” and “Madonna” (their online screen names for those paying attention) attempt to move on.

In a nutshell, these two online sweethearts fell in love before they ever even physically met. Then Jimena took to a trip to see Nacho in Cartagena and it was ON! Though they seemed so different for each other (she was older and married, he was a struggling student), something clicked and the love ignited.

Nacho’s lady friend Luisa and Jimena’s hubby Gustavo definitely complicated things and before we knew it, these two were headed straight to Heartbreak City. But…they did get in at least one night of passion, which led to (SPOILER ALERT) an unexpected XXXXXXXXX for Jimena!

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Tags Colombia, episode, Juegos Prohibidos, recaps, telenovelas, Television, Tr3s, video games

By Michael Lopez

Wow, what a journey it’s been. In the first 10 episodes of "Juegos Prohibidos," Nacho and Jimena went from online strangers to passionate lovers. Team Blogamole has been documenting the addictive Colombian soap every step of the way and before we move forward, we thought it would be fun to do quick recap of the characters (and drama) we’ve all come to love.

Nacho – The hero and main romantic lead. How could you not like this guy? He’s computer-savvy, always looking out for his sick sister, and romantic salvation for Jimena and her difficult home life. The only criticism we’d have for Ignacio is his relationship with Luisa. She is pure trouble and could lead to major trouble for him and his new relationship.

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Tags Colombia, episode, Juegos Prohibidos, recaps, telenovelas, Television, Tr3s, video games

By Michael Lopez

After the craziness of Episode 10, we really had to catch our breath before diving into this one. If you recall, Nacho and Jimena’s romantic getaway was just about to hit a destructive climax when BAM there comes those credits again. Talk about a cliffhanger! Well there’s plenty of answers of here in Ep 11, and a few “unexpected” surprises too.

Poor Jimena and Nacho can’t seem to get a break. They’re both sweet people and they obviously belong together, but the forces of nature (and jealousy) continue to tear them apart. The fact that Jimena has a husband doesn’t help matters either.

When we last left off, Jimena was about to join Nacho for a romantic dinner in Cartagena. Little did she know, hubby Gustavo was right there waiting and confronted her before the meeting ever took place. Nacho saw them together and wound up leaving the restaurant unseen.

They say it takes a strong man to cry and Nacho’s flexing those tears like a champ! In one of the most dramatic sequences of the entire series (nice job, production crew) we see him torn apart by the revelation that Jimena is actually married and returning home with her husband.