Caray, Caray!

Thanks Paula, and great pic pick, Carlos. This TN is really rocking too. So many threads being woven in and out of subplots. I am so glad this is being aired again. It's great to pay attention to new details once you know the story. And after 6 years, this whole work is holding up so well, I think that is forever.
 

If we listed all the novelas that could be called "classics" wouldn't most of them be novelas de epoca?

This one definitely makes my list, along with CS 1993, YCEM, and Amor Real.
 

What is YCEM?
 

What is YCEM?

Ya cachateé a el mujeriego? (I already slapped the womanizer)

Yo creí el mentiroso? (I believed the liar)

Yo cambio el mundo? (I am changing the world)

Ya comé los elotes maravillosos? (I already ate the marvelous corn)

Yo cuelgo en los molestosos? (I hang up on annoying people)

Yo conozco a Eddie Munster? (I know Eddie Munster)
 

Paula, I love your suggestions for YCEM.

Well, folks, I am now a week behind in episodes, and it's doubtful that I'll be able to put much of a dent in my deficit this week. :( I miss this group, but am hoping to avoid spoilers until I can catch up again.

Having said all that again, at risk of spoiling EVERYONE, I'm going to bravely speculate that Hip is not dead yet. :-)

As for classics, I know Destilando Amor is not an epoca and I also realize that many people feel that its Azteca or Colombian predecessors were better; but I'm in the thick of the second time through and I can honestly say it's my own favorite. (Not the best, maybe, but my favorite!)
 

YCEM = Yo Compro Esa Mujer. There are a zillion versions of this one but the Mexican one is from 1990 and made Eduardo Yanez a star. It's also the only one listed on IMDB.

The story was incorporated in CS 2009 and actually took it over.
 

Paula, you're a riot!!
 

Classic telenovelas? Two spring to mind.

1. Yo soy Betty la fea. I don't think there has ever been a phenomenon like that one. They say that Bogatá was like a ghost town during the Betty time slot. And what? Ten spinoffs? Didn't Mexico's version break all sorts of viewing records?

2. Cuna de los lobos (the one with the matriarch with the eye patch). It seems like when any Mexican TV wants to lampoon telenovelas, they slap an eyepatch on someone. Such is the influence of Cuna.
 

Oops, published before I was done.

Paula, I was just about to name Yo Soy Betty La Fea.

Cheryl, I also think Alborada has stood the test of time really well. I am definitely enjoying it more this second time around.

Poor Hipolita! After being threatened and frightened all last week now she is being physically battered this week.

Thanks to Paula and Carlos for the posts.
 

Paula, you are really on your game today, maybe a little stand-up in store for you.

I also liked Destilando Amor, it was my 1st novela & I started somewhere in the middle. I liked all the info about tequila. I like the novelas to be informative about sth.
 

Aside from the classics, I particularly liked La hija del mariachi. Actually, I haven't finished it yet - I took a break when Albo started. But I've liked what I've seen thus far.
 

Paula, I've heard about that one but have never seen it. Did it air on Uni or one of the other stations?

Variopinta I agree with you. I like to learn something when I watch. Either about a process like tequila or wine making, or a period of history, or a particular location...or vanilla.

I just finished today's episode. Yikes, I forgot Hipolita got cracked in the head by a rifle. Those soldiers are mean!!

I see in the avances that Perla makes an undercover return.
 

Sylvia, I think LHDM ran on TeleFutura a year or two ago. It's a Colombian TN about a Mexican businessman from a priveleged family who gets framed by his partner. He flees the country but gets stuck in Colombia where he is mugged. Hiding from the law and undocumented, he finds work in a Mexico-themed mariachi bar where the Sweet Young Thing (SYT) is the featured singer.

The characters are appealing, the character development is very good, and of course the music is marvelous. So far it doesn't over-focus on the ugly crime world. The SYT is the actress playing La Pola right now. The galán, Mark Tacher, played the photographer in TDA.
 

Hi everyone...enjoying the discussion of other telenovelas. I've never watched Betty la Fea but everyone who has seemed to prefer it to our own Fea Mas Bella.

My all-time favorite is Amor Real. But I'm watching Pasion right now and am liking that as well. Guess I'm a hopeless Carla Estrada, Monica Miguel fan.
 

Judy B,
Not to mention 'Fernando Colunga'.

I'm watching Pasión on DVD also. It doesn't seem to be cut as bad as Amor Real was.
 

Oh alright Variopinta!....yes, yes, yessssss...Fernando.
 

Who is the lady who is accompanying Victoria? I don't remember her being introduced. She reminds me of Gardenia (MEPS)/Alfonsina(CME).

Felipe getting his justice was very satisfying.

Carlos
 

The woman with Victoria was also helping her out at the pirate camp. I assume she is her assistant or maid-in-waiting just like Marina is to Isabel and Modesta is to Juana. It seems if you are born into the upper classes you get one of those even if you are a pirate queen hiding from the law.

Yes, I did a rewind twice on Felipe's justicia. It was a great scene. The bad guy fought like a doofus and Felipe just whipped out his little knife and pffffft! Right in the heart.

Vario, I have the DVD of Pasion but haven't watched it yet. I'm glad to hear the editing isn't absolutely terrible.
 

Sylvia, I think in most Latin countries people had assistants. I'm Cuban (Miami Cuban) and I had a secretary that did whatever she was told, pick up my kids at school, returns items to the store, plan birthday parties, etc. My mother-in-law always called her my "cachanchan". That's what they were called in Cuba - slang term.

Chichi

Love this TN glad you guys suggested it. I also loved Betty la Fea, that was one of my first TN's.
 

Judy, here is what I noticed. For people who were new to TNs, they absolutely loved Mexican Fea, LFMB. In fact, for many (including me) it's the one that got them interested in TNs.

So I wondered why there were so many people who hated LFMB. I discovered that most (of course not all) of the those were TN veterans. They had seen Colombian Fea, YSBLF, and absolutely loved it. So they hated the things about LFMB that fell short of YSBLF. And IMHO (many will argue), they overlooked the features of LFMB that were BETTER than YSBLF.

It bears comparison to the other classic TN, Corazon Salvaje. To people who saw the 1993 Polomo/Gonzales version, the recent Yañez one was a travesty because CS93 is almost a holy relic.
 

Regarding viewership records, the parade at the end of LFMB supposedly drew a bigger crowd than the most recent previous papal visit. (Not sure whether that was Monterrey or Mexico City.)

YSBLF is almost universally preferred over LFMB. I liked LFMB better than the fraction of YSBLF that I saw, but I can certainly understand why others would feel differently. The humor in YSBLF is a little more... dignified? subdued? than that of LFMB.

Not that the humor in BLF was "subtle," but the same jokes were frequently played over-the-top in LFMB. For example, I don't recall ever hearing a "boioioioioing" sound effect in BLF. You don't need such embellishments when something's already funny.
Oh, and I agree with Variopinta that learning about a topic (tequila or whatever) is a nice extra in a telenovela. I saw only the second half of Heridas de Amor, but was disappointed that they didn't talk a LOT more about the chocolate!
 

Even the 1993 version of Corazon isn't close to being the first. Wikipedia says it was first a film in 1956 and a telenovela in 1966, both of them remade multiple times (one film starred Angelica Maria). Amazing.

Another reason the 2009 version might be considered a travesty is because it was directed by Salvador Mejia. Some of us aren't fond of his work. ;-)
 

Great comments. Paula, you are too funny. I have a caption for Carlos's photo : ''I've fallen for Luis , and I can't get up.'' Judyb~~~I'm with you. I am a bg fan of the Carla-Monica-Fernando novelas. As for Ugly Betty, I remember a script I used to read to me speaking class students so that they could practice their notetaking skills. It compared American soaps to telenovelas and stated that Ugly Betty was so popular that almost every country had its own version. I'm not a fan, but I know that many people here loved it.
 

By the way, if you want to learn about bananas [and highpriced prostitutas] , watch Dona Bella on Telefutura. It's a very weird show. The lead actress is a ramera with a loyal follower of her town's lead citizens [the doctor, the priest, the police chief]. She's pursued by the married guy who runs the banana factory and a bad guy. Fernando from Teresa is in it . It's on at 9pm eastern. I have become fascinated with it even though I can't always figure out what people are saying. I recognize some hot yound dudes from Dona Barbara and Heredos.
 

Susanlynn, "I've fallen for Luis, and I can't get up" - LOL, YOU are too funny.

I've been trying to come up with funny captions for weeks and haven't come up with a single one. I'd probably have more luck if I stopped trying.
 

Chichi, thanks so much for your info about assistants and the new word - "cachanchan". Very interesting.
 

Great caption, Susanlynn! I've added it.
 

I love the caption! Poor Hip. She is going to be beside herself when she wakes up.

This tn is the first of the beloved period tns that so many of you spoke about that I am watching completely. I caught episodes of Amor Real every now and then when it was shown recently. I loved the costumes and the revolutionary period storyline, but thought the main galan was a jerk (although hot), rooted for the 1st galan, and hated all of Adela N's crying. It was beautifully shot and directed though. I can see why many consider it a classic. Maybe some day I'll watch it all the way through.