Blogamole › Cristina Saralegui

By Michael Lopez

As we all know, Cristina Saralegui is a master at getting celebrities to open up on her talk shows. And this past week, she got a ton of juicy gossip from the madre of Mr. 305, Alysha Acosta.

Pitbull's mom delivered some shocking revelations to the audience during her appearance, including the fact that she's a recovering alcoholic. Apparently for quite a long time, Pit and his sisters didn't want anything to do with her. And that's something she takes full responsibility for.

"[I grew up] in the hippie era," she told Cristina. "It was full of LSD, PCP, marijuana, and when you're on drugs or drunk, you lose all your morals, your conscience…everything!"

But thankfully it seems like Alysha has cleaned up her act and is on much better terms with her mega-famous son. When asked about Pitbull, Acosta said that their relationship seems to be better now than it's ever been.

Have you ever been estranged from your parents? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Alysha Acosta, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Celebrities, Chisme, Cristina Saralegui, Pitbull, popnews

By Michael Lopez

Anyone who's followed Thalía's career, knows that she was incredible close to her mother. Yolanda Miranda managed her famous daughter for many years and her shocking death last week has left the pop star reeling. Now eight-and-a-half months pregnant, Thalía made the risky trip to Mexico City to attend her madre's funeral.

Most doctors would not advise a 39-year-old woman to fly during such an advanced stage of pregnancy. But that didn't stop Thalía from chartering a private jet with hubby Tommy Mottola. The two arrived in Mexico City hours before the scheduled funeral and, from the pictures that were published, it was clear that she was extremely distraught.

It now appears that Yolanda died as a result of a stroke. The good news is that she most likely did not suffer, but it was still completely unexpected and a devastating loss. Since the news broke, several celebrities have sent out condolence tweets to Thalía and her family.

Talk show host Cristina Saralegui posted,

"My deepest sympathies to @Thalía and her entire family on the death of her mother Yolanda Miranda. Sending love to you all."

Gloria Estefan tweeted her prayers as well,

"Our heart is hurting for this unexpected loss but the love that Yolanda, mother of @thalia, left in this world will live on forever!"

And even Paulina Rubio, who herself lost a parent this year, offered words of encouragement, in spite of her publicized differences with Thalía.

"We're with you @thalia. My greatest condolences. We know you are a warrior just like she was and you will rise above. Remember the light that you have inside and all around you. #fuerzathalia I join in prayer."

Have you sent out a condolence tweet to Thalía? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Celebrities, Chisme, Cristina Saralegui, Gloria Estefan, Paulina Rubio, Thalía, tommy Mottola, Yolanda Miranda

By Michael Lopez

OK, can we “officially” admit that Cuban-American talk show star Cristina Saralegui was edged out of Univision? She originally said it was a mutual parting of ways when she left the network after 21 years, even implying that she may be headed into retirement. But now it is clear that is not the case, with rumors flying that Saralegui is close to signing a deal with CNN en Español.

Since the cancellation of her popular daytime talk show, Saralegui has become much more vocal about her discontent for Univision. She recently told reporters that she's been fielding several offers from such competing Spanish-language networks as Telemundo, Azteca TV and Televisa.

But according to AOL Latino, the real winner may be CNN en Español. Sources there claim that Cristina and her husband Marco Avila are in deep negotiations with the cable channel, which could potentially include a primetime show and crossovers with the English CNN network.

One thing is abundantly clear — 63-year-old Cristina is not retiring. And why should she? When she left Univision, Saralegui was at the top of her game and still scoring major interviews with stars like Ricky Martin and Shakira. With her strong connections and upbeat interviewing skills, we imagine she’ll have plenty of A-list talent ready to follow her wherever she goes.

Would you like to see Cristina back on TV? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags CNN, cristina, Cristina Saralegui, Hot Stuff, Talk Shows, Television, univision

By Michael Lopez

While Pitbull may be resting comfortably on the "nice" list, Luis Miguel seems to have had no trouble finding his way onto the "naughty" list.

At a ceremony in Miami, La Asociación Latina de Periodistas de Entretenimiento (the Association of Latin Entertainment Journalists or ALPE) presented former talk show host Cristina Saralegui with its Trajectory Award, Cuban rapper Pitbull with its Friend of the Press Award and Mexican crooner Luis Miguel with its Least Friendly Celebrity Award.

It's no secret that Luis doesn’t have the greatest relationship with the press, but it may not have been the best idea to boss around press staff during his Luis Miguel album release party in Las Vegas this summer. Although the album hit No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Charts, LuisMi's attitude with the media certainly hasn't helped his image.

Perhaps Miguel is fed up with all of the gossip (remember that liposuction drama?) that circulated this year. All we can say is, if you’re reading this, Luis, we’d be happy to conduct a new interview with you to clear up the whole matter.

Source: [Latin Gossip]

Who would you name the year's least nice celebrity? Sound off below or @MTV3.

Tags Celebrities, Chisme, Cristina Saralegui, Luis Miguel, Música, Pitbull

By Michael Lopez

A while back we reported that Cristina Saralegui was ending her two-decade run as the Latina queen of the talk show circuit. And at the time, she told the press that she was happy to retire, move on, and enter “the next exciting phase” of her career. But now Saralegui’s saying something VERY different, specifically that she was forced out of her show because of old age!

Image: Getty Images

It originally looked like things were still very rosy between her and Univision, the network that carried Cristina. There was talk about future specials and retrospectives to look forward to for years to come. But after what Saralegui told The Miami Herald, a happy relationship is looking less and less likely.

“They want to change the image of the network and get rid of the older folks and replace them with youngsters. I’m too old for what they want, and I think that is because I am independent and because I give the orders.”

Ouch! Could that be true? After 21 years together, Univision would just dump her because they’re trying to attract a younger audience? The network hasn’t commented yet, but looking at their current schedule makes you wonder if she has a point.

The news shows feature tons of 30-something reporters (like Mrs. Don Omar, Jackie Guerrido), the novela casts keep cranking out fresh faces, and even Don Francisco is doing the nip and tuck to keep that youthful look. And though she DEFINITELY doesn’t look it, Cristina is now 62 years old.

It’s obvious that she still has tons of talent and a fanbase that will follow her anywhere. So we won’t be surprised at all if after her last show in November, Ms. Saralegui “un-retires” and winds up on a competitive Spanish network near you.

Source: [Latin Gossip]

Do you think Cristina should retire? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Celebrities, Chisme, cristina, Cristina Saralegui, Talk Shows, Television, univision

by Wendaline Perez

The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) hosted their annual awards ceremony, Noche de Gala at the Renaissance Mayflower hotel in Washington DC last week celebrating the organization’s 13th year of existence. Actors Jimmy Smits, Esai Morales and Sonia Braga, along with attorney Felix Sanchez, created the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts in 1997 to advance the presence of Latinos in the media, telecommunications and entertainment industries. Today, NHFA offers graduate scholarships to Hispanic students at eight colleges and universities across the United States and expands career opportunities for existing talent in all aspects of entertainment and the performing arts.

Photo via Photo-op, Inc.

NHFA’s Noche de Gala was definitely a star-studded affair, among the celebrities in attendance were Television Icon Cristina Saralegui, who was named the NHFA’s recipient of the 2010 Raul Julia Award for Excellence, Puerto Rican Actor Jimmy Smits, who is one of the founding members of the NHFA, and Mexican-Brazilian Actress, Giselle Itié, who was an honoree of the NHFA’s Horizon Award. Other celebrity guests included Tony Plana (Ugly Betty); Benito Martinez (Shield, 24, CSI, Lie to Me); Jesse Garcia (Bajo la Misma Luna); Aimee Garcia (George Lopez Show; Trauma); Jeremy Ray Martinez (La Mission)

Tr3s caught up with actor and co-founder of the National Foundation for the Art’s, Jimmy Smits, to find out more about his passion for philanthropy and his thoughts about Latinos in the media today:

"I always want us to be able to do more, but when I look at the young people who are going to Harvard, NYU… I realize that begging corporate sponsors to give a helping hand does pays off…that’s what we started 10-15 years ago with Rock the Vote, we came together to figure out how to do things so that its not just a photo-op and you really do see some kind of results.

What you realize is that the common denominator is education because if you have that springboard people who are in positions of power cant say 'well there's no real talented writer or performers who are trained.' They are out there, like yourself, so it's just about using education as a tool and having that confirmation from the outside, while believing in your talent and networking, that makes a well rounded individual which goes a long, long way.”

Jimmy Smits on the Immigration front:

"The whole immigration issue deals with the economic issue that confronts our country. Because its always been the country's policy to be lenient with immigration when there’s a necessity for a workforce, but times are tough now and people are feeling it, so they kind of displace and this is an easy way to displace but you go to every major urban area around the country and then places that are not-so urban and there are Latinos doing jobs that nobody else really wants to do, so you know I take all of that with a grain of salt but that doesn’t conclude me from saying that there are laws in this country that need to be followed and if there are set of rules that are established and people have to follow a path to citizenship, then we should. I think that most of the people are down with that."

We also caught up with actor Jesse Garcia who gave us some words of advice to share with you:

"Dream big, dream bigger than big, whatever you want just reach for it. I came from a small town in Wyoming I grew up in a town with 700 people and I’m living my dream and my dream is still bigger and I’m still achieving that."

What do you think about the NHFA's mission?  Do you think we need more Latinos representing in the media?  Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags 2010 Raul Julia Award for Excellence, Agentes De Cambio, Benito Martinez, cristina, Cristina Saralegui, entrevista, Esai Morales, Giselle Itie, Immigration, Jesse Garcia, Jimmy Smits, National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, NHFA, Noche de Gala, Rock the Vote, Tony Plana

By Michael Lopez

Que lastima! Less than a year after Oprah revealed that she was saying goodbye to television, her Cuban counterpart Cristina Saralegui has announced that she’s doing the same thing. Yup, after over 20 years on the air, her groundbreaking Spanish talk show, “Cristina” is going off the air.

photo via Hispanic PR Wire

Since its major debut in 1989, "Cristina” has been a staple of Spanish television. Her professional demeanor and friendly attitude has attracted some of the biggest names in Latino entertainment. Stars like Shakira, Ricky Martin, and Gloria Estefan have all taken a seat on the legendary stage.

photo via El show de Cristina/Univisión

Of course, unlike Oprah, Ms. Saralegui wasn’t afraid to shy away from the outrageous. Throughout the years, she’s been known for her silly costumes (you’ve got to love that barrel outfit), beauty contests, and half-naked cowboys prancing on the set.

And as far as heavy-hitting goes, her dramatic interviews with former Menudo members and controversial star Gloria Trevi scored huge ratings. And by all accounts, “Cristina” is still riding high. Which makes us wonder, why the premature exit?

According to Saralegui, “It is bittersweet to announce the end of what has been a very rewarding experience, but after many wonderful years, now is the perfect time to retire the show and move on to the next exciting phase of my career.”

What exactly will that be? According to sources, she’s still under contract to Univision, which means we can expect plenty of Cristina specials in the near future. But as far as “Cristina” the show goes, the final episode is set to air November 1st and you can bet Team Blogamole will be watching (with plenty of tissues in hand).

Source: [L.A. Times]

Are you going to miss “Cristina”? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Celebrities, cristina, Cristina Saralegui, Deep Thoughts, Gloria Trevi, Menudo, Oprah, Television