Caray, Caray!

Have at it, amigos! Propose some new stories for Televisa and casting suggestions for our maturing favorites.
 

Brava! Piercing and crafty essay! Do you think they'll catch the nod to truth being stranger (and more interesting at times) than fiction? It almost sailed past me! I am certain they can do a bit of a love and off to foreign wars story along the lines of say Caesar and Cleopatra using a Mark Antony figure to form a possible love triangle. I mean if Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw could throw something together, certainly Televisa could as well. Hmmm.

However, one great heart throb you've forgotten is Eduardo Yanez. To be fair, he and Erika Buenfil with Amores Verdaderos are in a production that seems to fill the bill for us--dunno cuz I stopped watching after the first episodio. However, it isn't the quality of a PdO--which I am sooooo glad you mentioned! ; ? ))
 

Jardinera, the character who originally lost me from AV was Nikki, whom I found very annoying and totally undeserving of Francisco. And when I tried to get back into that one Liliana lost me with her pathetic pursuit of said Francisco. However, I did see the pool scene last night and that was a riot. Kendra will have a hell of a Karmageddon for what she's been up to.

I didn't forget anyone; I think Eduardo Yanez and Erika Buenfil deserve better material than AV. Can you come up with a good story for them?
 

First I wouldn't have cast the two opposite each other as eventually lovers. No true chemistry for me. I have no creative proclivities so no, I can only describe what I see, not stitch it up from whole cloth. Sorry! LOL!
 

I wish someone at Televisa watched turkish novelas. I think some stories would be perfect.
Alegria
 

UA- Great commentary! It's one reason I chose not to watch QBA. It's especially annoying with men since, unlike women, they are allowed to age gracefully and still be sexy (refer to CME and Gonzalo and Regina). They should do so. And I would totally watch either of these shows you propose!

Kelly
 

Televisa may be unique (badly) in the way it treats its actors. It seems to me that the Brazilian, Chilean, Colombian, Spanish and Venezuelan (the defunct RCTV) networks are much better - not perfect, but much better - at creating novelas with characters in their 30s-50s played by age-appropriate actors.

And I just started watching a Korean novela about 4 men in their 40s, and 3 of the actors are not yet 40.

So why Televisa is such an outlier? Are Mexican viewers truly so much different than soap viewers in other countries?
 

May be it's because actors and actresses dont want to play characters of their own age. And public don't want to see them so adult. For example, fans of Colunga dont want him to see as a father of an adult son or daughter. Galan should be joven.
Alegria
 

If anyone has a problem with actors playing younger, I often have a problem with actors playing older.

There was a Venevision production called Sacrificio de Mujer which was yet another remake of Cristal. The role of the mother was played -- through the whole series -- by Marjorie de Sousa (Kendra of AV) who was only 31 at the time. Her first love was played by Juan Alfonso Baptista (Oscar of PdG) who is only 4 years older. This made no sense to me at all unless it was the network's attempt at snagging younger viewers. No attempt was made to age them up in the main part of the story.

This is a different story from having Jorge Cao play Grandpa in PdG, where they did make him look older. I suspect that the producer wanted a certain attitude and energy level for the character they didn't think they could find in a 70-something.

Having said that, the reality of HD resolution and the level of detail it shows should also provoke some thinking about this.
 

My first problem with TN from Televisa is that they are trying to remake everything new and old, local and from the rest of the world.

Second, they are always hiring the same people for everything. David Zepeda, Jorge Salinas, William Levy, Ana Brenda and one of the Vega sisters, are seen very often.

I have seen (bits and pieces of) other TN not only from Telemundo o TVAzteca, but from other countries, and I wish Televisa started producing more original stories, and give all the young talent from theis school (CEA) the chance to star, supported by the more experienced ones.

I know is just ''un sueño guajiro'', but I would also like Televisa to launch that channel they have promised to TN fans so long ago, the classic novelas channel, with TN from the 60s and on...

Is that so hard to do?

Say no to remakes and say no to the same old faces!!
 

I'd love to have the classic novela channel. I'm very curious about the older versions of series I saw 15 and 20 years ago.

But I will never be tired of Jorge Salinas.
 

Televisa lost a lot of material in 1985, due to the earthquake. Still today, they don't know exactly how much or what is lost.

In 2007, to celebrate de 50th anniversary of the TN in México (they say the first one was SENDA PROHIBIDA 1958) they aired AMOR SIN MAQUILLAJE, and before that kept showing on TV, clips from many TNs. During ASM, the plot was three generations of make up artists from TV telling their stories and such, they also showed many clips. So, to make the story short. For that occasion, they said for the first time that the TN archives was safe and even mentioned the amount of material they had. My question is, if they have it, why not make is accessible to people who wanna see it?
Make DVDs, show the TN on TV, anything! I am sure Televisa has de man power and the money to do that and more! First we didn't know what they have, but after teasing us, we would like to have at least a peek.
 

UA: I am so amazed and impressed that you can find the time and energy to write these weekend themes and propose new stories with our favorite actors! Bravo, bravo!

I am personally still reeling from some glitch in Comcast (Sonoma County, Ca) that had deprived me of Univision for TWO days now! I must go to Youtube I guess to watch the epis I've missed. ¡Qué horror!
 

UA this is an excellent post I agree with you 100%
I wish somebody read this blog from Tevevisa HQ. and take it to heart and give your suggestions to an appropriate writer and director, (hopefully not Mehijjjjjjja and his minions) they could come up with their own stories too, be creative Televisa!!

Any of you guys think somebody watching this blog over there??

You made me courious about this Piel de Otoño though, I checked out on wikipedia, looks interesting do you know any site I can take a look, youtube has some clips but very bad quality
 

I love your ideas, UA; and ITA I can’t get tired of Jorge Salinas although I am not en amor with his current TN. I would much rather see him in your story. Or maybe a period piece.
TNs are like US TV back in the 40s and 50s and just haven’t evolved. The women are stuck in stereotypical roles, but so are the men.

 

Haven't seen any, irisz79; sorry.

Come on, amigos; let's have some story ideas! I almost don't care if Televisa steals them at this point.

Though I still wish they would remake Dark Shadows.
 

Jorge Salinas would also look good in the trenchcoat of the other story's gumshoe hero. For that one I picture Silvia Navarro in lots of designer evening gowns and upswept hair. She would look like a cross between Grace Kelly and Deborah Kerr.
 

Oooo,delicious,UA! Sergio Sendel and Silvia Navarro are a dream couple.
 

UA - Great essay.

Just looking around at real life, I can see stories of

- a newly single (after divorce or being widowed) falling in love with an enemy

- a rich mature married couple rekindling their love after losing their fortune

- a 20-year high school reunion that triggers the hero/heroine to finally deal with a long-kept dark secret

- a 40-something that has to assume his/her dead twin's life to right some great wrong

As long as the characters are engaging and sexy, I'll be there. And Eduardo Yanez, Jorge Salinas, Adela Noriega, and Sergio Sendel will always have me watching.
 

Excellent essay, UA. And great story ideas. I too so wish they would cast Jorge Salinas in an age-appropriate role. Loved him in LQNPA, but I couldn't stomach him with Danna Garcia in QBA.
 

@LoriLoo: YouTube? oh, no, no, no. I know a much better site where you can see C.I. episodes in very high quality full-screen video, practically HD. And the episodes are not all chopped up like they are on YouTube. If you want, I can email you the link. Drop me a line at latininmd@gmail.com (note that the email address just says "latin", not "latina".) Also, I think Univision has them available online if you prefer.
 

Besides ANITA NO TE RAJES, has someone ever addressed again (in a serious manner) the problem many hispanic immigrants have in USA with INS crappy and inept staff? They still processing applications from people who applied in 1993 (and who have been waiting about 20 years for their interview).
That would be a great plot now with all that about the reform and everything!
Poeple in the waiting list is living in limbo, as La india María once said, ni de quí ni de allá!
 

UA...you amaze me with your talent for all of these wonderful weekend topics, but I think you have hit one out of the ball park with that idea of Dark Shadows. YIKES! Wouldn't that be cool. I saw the "Dark Shadows" with Johnny Depp. To me, it was sorta kinda campy, but it was fun!

Is that what you had in mind, a campy kind of comedy?

I have a Latina friend who is not interested in the novelas, but did watch a QBA episode with me. She does not know any of the actors, their history, etc. What were the VERY FIRST words out of her mouth? "That man is too old for that girl!!". Sadly, she was referring to the lovely dimpled one, AKA, Mr. Jorge Salinas.

I told her that I didn't care, I would take him in a New York Minute.

I'm going to ponder your excellent essay today. I hope the Televisa/Univision peeps are reading it.

Thank you, UA!!

Fatima
 

I have nothing much to add. My brain isn't in gear this morning. But I do have to comment on Pablo's suggestion of INS or ICE.

It would have to be a comedy. La India Maria and Roberto Ballesteros would be great.

I know this from the personal experience of the mother of a friend of mine for just a visa to travel here to see her son and daughter. She was supposed to show up at 9 am on a certain day. She had to travel from the hinterland to get there. They would tell her her appointment had been postponed and to come back in six weeks. Same thing happened every time for years. Finally my friend brought her in on a visa for a medical emergency. She stayed here for 3 months and went home happy. Why does it have to be so hard?

But I can see India Maria wreaking havoc in the office (she brings the burro into the waiting room) and maybe getting in a few Gangman dance steps to Ballesteros' consternation.
 

Fatima, absolutely not! If you never saw the original Dark Shadows that ran from 1966-1971 you have missed out big time! I'm talking about a novela version of that series, which had some serious depth not previously present in vampire/witch/other supernatural stories.

And if you think that Jorge Salinas is too old for Danna Garcia I'm shocked you didn't think the same thing about him with Ana Brenda Contreras in LQNPA. Their birth years are:

Jorge Salinas: 1968
Danna Garcia: 1978
Ana Brenda Contreras: 1986

Niecie, I love that dead twin impersonation thing. It opens up lots of interesting possibilities whether we're talking about male or female twins.
 

UA, I wasn't the one who thought JS was too old for Danna...it was my friend who knew nothing about novelas who took one look at JS and said he was too old.

For me, the guy is so darn handsome that I really don't care if he's considered too old for the part. I just love looking at him!!

I just did a check on Netflix. It has the "Dark Shadows" series you mention. I'm going to check it out and get back to you!! Thanks for clearing this up as I was thinking that you were going to write something like the Johnny Depp version.

Fatima
 

Fatima, in rereading this thread this morning I realized my comments about Jorge Salinas and his two most recent leading ladies should have been addressed to LatinaInMD.

My Beso de Muerte story could also be a period piece set in the '40s with a music soundtrack right out of that film period. I have CD's of that stuff with titles like "Sax and Violence."
 

Here's my suggestion:

A woman is newly single, and there's a spark of attraction between her and a new man, who happens to be a very good dancer (because I want to see some dancing in a TN.) But the spark gets doused because her best friend is seeing the same man. Even though she introduced them (suspenseful music here), it's a total surprise because her best friend already has a boyfriend. She arranges for the new man and boyfriend to attend the same function. Not a good plan! The best friend and her boyfriend break up, and the best friend hooks up with new man.

The woman then meets another man, who looks like an angel because he's handsome, tall, and has shiny, wavy blond hair. But he's a horrible dancer, comically spastic. He turns out to be a complete and utter jerk, maybe even a drug user. She walks into a bar where some friends have met to go dancing, and she finds him at a table with another woman. Glassy-eyed, he pretends not to know her.

Feeling low, she goes to see a famous psychic, who tells her that her animal guide is the grey wolf and that in a past life, she was a man, a navigator on a Viking ship.
He cheers her up by telling her about a man she will meet. He tells her the man's name and what country he's from, that he's a musician, that he has four children, that the children will like her, and that she will meet him in a casual place, like the office or a restaurant. He even tells her the name of a restaurant, El Mar Azul, that will be significant.

One day, she's driving down a highway and she sees a sign about a new restaurant coming soon, El Mar Azul.

Things begin falling in place. She meets the man who fits the description and eventually they have lunch at the restaurant with one of her friends. Her friend grills the man about his family and he tells them that he's married.

Possible ending: Wife dies in accidental car crash. Man is free to move on.

Possible ending: Woman goes back to psychic, who tells her that he sees her surrounded by cats. Woman's mother passes away, and she becomes an instant cat lady. Man is allergic to cats!
 

UA, thanks for the clarification. :)
I didn't see LQNPA. Two episodes and I was outta there. It seemed depressing and emotionally abusive. I couldn't take it.

Don't have a plot yet, but taking off on UA's "Dark Shadows", I think it would be fun to see a "good" story with some believable supernatural.

Say, Univision and Televisa, I hope you are listening and reading. Frankly, I think you should hire some of our recappers (UA, hint, hint!!). They are talented; think quickly on their feet, and can write a darn good story.

Great weekend topic, UA!!

Fatima
 

I love period novelas, and I love the story of zorro . Telemundo did a version, but I have always wanted to see Fernando Colunga in the role. If he would be consideedr him to be too old for the charater, how about my other telenovio the suer yummy Marcelo Cordoba ? Susana Gonzales could play his ladylove. p.s. Has Carla Estrada retired ?
 

Carla has a mini-TN inside the program HOY (Univisión 11am-1pm center) that lasts about 5 minutes every time. Is a period piece but also a comedy. The whole HOY cast is there and the plot is very funny. Set up in Mexican Revolution times. I have caught it sometimes but other times forget.
I wish I could find the episodes I have missed because I like it.
 

How many people know the original Dark Shadows? If enough do I may consider putting up a photo gallery of my dream cast for it.
 

I do. And even when I don't like messing up things that don't need to mess up with, I would like to see your take in the casting dept.

Just for fun!!
 

UA: Remember watching it when it originally aired. It would make a great TN.
 

UA: Did Dark Shadows come on in the afternoon? I seem to remember watching it in daycare after school ... so, so long ago. I'd like to see your pix.
 

Aleta: I remember it being on right when I got out of school, so it was on in the late afternoon in my home state.
 

It was opined above:

"You pride yourselves on the ability to teach life lessons to a public hungry for them."

Vot der dumboozle?
Telenovelas are teaching life lessons?
Like how to fornicate, commit adultery, get STD's, & lie? Telenovela characters lie from start to finish.

I can't believe that many persons who watches telenovelas sermons.

Enoch
 

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