Sunday, September 03, 2017
Upcoming Telenovelas: Stevey Weighs In (Pt.I) - September 3, 2017
Note of caution: some of the narrative in Part II especially, contains information that could be considered spoilers, so use caution if you don’t want to read too far ahead (Anita has marked tell-tale storylines with a à.)
PART I - BEHIND THE SCENES AT TELEVISA
Hi everybody! First off, I'm SO sorry that this has been so unconscionably late in getting to you all (Stupid life! Slow DOWN a bit now and then, will ya??), but I really never DID forget about you, and I've actually been working on this for quite some time now (as you will, undoubtedly see), both as a result of my own loquaciousness (read: long-windedness, not knowing when to stop or shut up, etc.), as well as the fact that these situations are always constantly evolving, or at least changing. I also always want to make sure as much as I can, that anything I put out there for you guys is actually a verified FACT (no 'Fake News' here!), HOPEFULLY by contacts within the network, but if not, through viable sources, and this sometimes isn't always that easy to come by. There's actually been all kinds of network drama going on over at Televisa in regards to telenovelas, an inordinate amount, really…lots of unhappy actors, and a lot of producers gnashing their teeth and clutching their 'stress balls' more tightly than usual. But I hope you'll enjoy what I've got for you all.
Rosy Ocampo is becoming, increasingly, a force to be reckoned with, and I don't mean that in a good way... I mean, like how Josef Stalin was. Or Cersei Lannister. Sra. Ocampo, for the record and for anybody who didn't know, is not just a producer of very colorful, somewhat successful telenovelas herself, but also holds the title of "Director of Creative Programming" for the network as well. In case you're wondering what that means, let's just say that there isn't a production that gets produced, or a cast that gets confirmed without the go-ahead from the “Director of Creative Programming.” Now, since she has had this gig, she has been accused—justifiably, of many a conflict of interest…after all, she's still producing novelas for the network. It is absolutely impossible for her to remain impartial in matters regarding her colleagues, competitors, and their casts, productions, and projects if she still has a vested interest in what is going on. But never mind that. Every once in a while something will happen, and people will grumble about Rosy acting like a petty dictator, but that's just the way it is. Unfortunately, lately, it's gone quite beyond that.
Labels: candidata, mimarido, proximas, ramon
Wow these are incredible and sad stories. This is how big networks fall. I'm not big on exclusivity deals but that doesn't mean I don't feel pity for our dear actors(Fernando Colunga not being attractive to women?!). Micromanaging is terrible but forcing actors to participate in products that they don't personally approve of is despicable. This is pure monopolism and elitism.
"Oh hey look at me with all the power. I'm better than all of you. If you don't kiss my feet get ready to get FIRED!". That is Rosy's mindset right now.
Altough I could understand her choice of nabbing exclusivity. There's no reason why actors should get trapped by a certain director while receiving royalties for years without doing anything. This puts Televisa in extremely large debts of over hundreds of millions dollars. That money could be spent on equally large shows. Why should a corporation pay you for simply existing?
Yes, Steve it seems Televisa is having budget problems. Who isn't, these days. Even little ole me. CountxAlacran, I feel for the industry as they compete against technological advances in the field delivering entertainment into our homes. They are suffering from bloated payrolls and production expenses, just as government bureaucracies everywhere, but that was their fault to begin with. Surely there are other ways to attract and keep top notch actors.
But shame on them for treating their long-term "fettered" stable of actors who have slaved all their careers to deliver quality performances.
It's like the teacher, firefighter or police officer who is let go "for cause" just shy of retirement dates, denying them their full pensions. Meanwhile, the employers shrug their shoulders and look away, declaring they had the authority to do so.
What surprised me the most was terminating Angelique Boyer. Tres Veces Ana was great and AB one of the best actresses on tn's, in my opinion. SR is a fav of the ladies and a decent actor. Actually, not be under contract gives the younger actors better chance at better projects and more money.
FC may not be big with the younger set but I tend to think it is the middle to older set keeping tn's going and FC is still popular.
It's funny that Televisa operates like the old Hollywood studio systems with stock of actors.
Some do get typecast, but maybe it suits them personally and they get a kick out of playing tough guys, loose women, or manipulative men and women. More than once I've heard actors say it's so much easier to play a thoroughly bad, evil character than it is a good one--the good ones are so much more nuanced and the bad ones--they can just let fly with the role.
I could make a list, but you all know what I'm talking about.
Televisa may have done AB a favor if she winds up working on different types of projects with other producers. She's the most talented young actress Televisa had AND she pulled in high ratings. I like the way Itati Cantoral is managing her career. One moment she's zany in Una familia con suerte for Televisa, next she's a fragile, calculating mafiosa in El chema for Telemundo. Itati may not be getting the big $$$bucks, but she's doing stellar work with diverse roles. I hope the same for AB.
I'm loca for Yanez, so I'm sorry he won't be back in a TN with Televisa. But surely these actors will turn up elsewhere.
They did great work. I was hoping to see William Levy and Maite Perroni in another
TN, but that looks like that won't be happening. Looking forward to reading all the
other info. Keep up the good work.
Williiam Levy was able to find work in a movie. IDK how it is called but it was about some woman with a rape fantasy(?). It was on Netflix I believe. Sergio Goyri also starred in movies, his most famous being the one with Rebecca Jones. Most recently Ana Brenda Contreras starred in Blue Demon which is not a Televisa production.
Televisa Wars: A New Hope
Televisa Wars: Revenge of Rosy
Televisa Wars: Caray Caray Awakens
Televisa Wars: The Last Snark
To fire Angelique Boyer is pure insanity, along with what she is doing to the other actors mentioned. This feels like Peter Gelb and the Met. While I don't think Gelb will kill opera, Ocampo could kill telenovelas within the next two years.
However, the people who used to work for them deserve respect, preference and oportunities. It is a shame Carla Estrada's projects are always rejected, postponed, etc. and Mónica Miguel forced to work in the very bad Mejía´s productions.
It´s important remark that most of Televisa actors (the good ones, the very talented) used to work in theater or in independent movies in their free time with no big money, just for the love of art. That´s why it was comfortable for them the exclusivity contracts, they used to feel safe.
In her own mind. I wonder if anybody
Would get away with pullin something
Like that in Hollywood?
That deal that they have"you work for us as Long as you're good acting material, When you're no longer viable,chopchop.
And fernando's and her royal highness'
Egos are like "clash of the titans". He got outclashed by her.
And they're some pretty good actresses that were cut loose. And they didn't have agents? I think the first thing tell the future actors, actresses here
Get yourself an agent, get some good
Reps.These guys at televisa were flyin
Without a parachute. Well the best them all.
Thank you for that imfo. I wonder if
What's going on over there has anything to do with the fact that there is no closed caption? Well we'll
See once the smoke clears.
Tquir, you echoed my earlier sentiments exactly. Monica always loved to play parts in the novelas she directed--Maria Isabel, Alborada, Sortilegio, La Fuerza del Destino, La Tempestad. And she and Carla were legendary as equal partners in productions. I was quite surprised to read she was also a singer and actually released an album early in her career. She is now 81 and probably has decided to slow down (????!!!!)
Yes, many of these actors have been in full-length films and on stage, even FC with his Manos Quietas. We've enjoyed him on screen in Ladron Que Roba a Ladron, Jorge Salinas in La Otra Familia, Ana Brenda Contreras in Divina Confusion and Silvia Navarro in a whole slew of them.
These are hard-working people who love their profession, but this is a new world - one where more mediocracy is tolerated, probably because there is so much out there to overload our senses--kittens and puppies on YouTube notwithstanding.
To get typed out is just amazing. Just
Thank you. Now on to part 2.
It appears most of the actors and actors listed here are victims of ageism. Likely one or two are under the age of 35. I am familiar with almost all of those named. Amazing skill and versatility. Surely, all deserved better.
Could it be anything other than sheer stupidity that Angelique was included? Ingrid Martz, Eduardo Yanez (I sigh along with you Niecie), Azela Robinson. I could go on and on.
And of course while they have lost much, we will have to see what talented actors will no longer grace our screens.
What a loss.
Diana
There is a bright side to this, though. Sort of. I think most of these actors will do just fine. Maybe better than fine. Televisa's loss will be everyone else's gain.
And it will indeed be a loss. Most people would find it exhausting to alienate so many people as quickly as Ocampo has. It would seem that Ocampo has enough stamina to chase away or alienate every competent telenovela professional inside of Pluto's orbit within the next year.
I know Televisa (and all of the networks and media companies) need to adjust to the changing whims of the viewing audience, but Ocampo is probably a step in the exact opposite direction.
Of course losing your best stars is detrimental. Because it's not as though they'll cease to exist - they'll go to work for Televisa's competitors. People will still tune in to see them, but Televisa will not benefit from their star power.
I'm really thrilled by everybody's comments, and wanted to thank you all for reading, and a special thank you for those of you who chimed in with your thoughts and opinions on the matter here!
It IS rather shocking, what's going on at Televisa right now, isn't it? I am somewhat buoyed by the fact that your collective reactions to the madness that's going on seems to be the same as mine. In the time since this was posted (THANK YOU, Anita!!! :-) , I've tried to see if I could get even just a number, even just a 'guess-timate' of the number of Televisa actors that have been affected by. this great purge (i.e.- been fired, had their Exclusivity Agreements yanked, or had positions or demands imposed upon them to the point where they have chosen to walk away of their own accord (cf. Angelique Boyer)). While exact numbers seemed to be pretty much impossible to get (for me, at least), if I take the input of the four sources that I have spoken to who have inside information about this matter, and calculate the mean number (meaning, 'calculated central' or 'average'), the figure would hover around 400 on-air personalities.
Can you believe it? Scary times, apparently... :-(
But, I do have to say that I hope you all don't think that all of this may mean that this will be the last that we may see of actor A) or B) or C), because that's definitely not the case! One example of how this might happen might be great for us, their fans, but not so good for the actor... this would be when an actor who had an exclusivity agreement with the network who, at the time of its' termination BY the network, still owed the network a production. Then, you can bet your bottom dollar that the network is going to get that production out of that actor come hell or high water! If they've paid before they show him the door. This is the case, right now, with the actor Eduardo Santamarina, whose last project was 'Que pobres tan ricos', filmed in the latter part of 2015. They yanked his contract effective now, but he still owes them a major role in a production... and thus explain-eth why he'll be the father in the upcoming Esmeralda remake, by Ignacio Sada, 'Sin tu mirada'.
Likewise, if a producer has his or her heart set on an actor or actress, they can try and force the network's hand and, no matter HOW much Rosy, et al. might consider actor X), Y), or Z) a financial burden or liability NOT worth the investment, if the producer sticks to their guns, they WILL get their way (cf: Giselle Gonzalez with both Silvia Navarro AND Gabriel Soto in her upcoming 'Caer en tentacion')
There was something else that happened recently which might prove to be interesting, might not...
But recently, Rosy Ocampo overstepped her boundaries.
Carlos Mercado barged into Rosy's office, you see... Carlos Mercado is the creator of "La Rosa de Guadalupe", which is a frankly quite detestable show that has been the anchor of their afternoon line-up for the past 10 years. It's frequently derided by pretty much everybody in Mexico (it's a procedural show, with each stand-alone episode being allusive to the Catholic faith, wherein whatever is going on can only be solved by the intercession of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who manifests herself in a variety of ways). It is considered the most controversial show that Televisa has ever produced, primarily because of the exaggerated view of Christianity and Catholicism that it touts, one in which xenophobia, racism, the subjugation of women, homophobia, drug use, and a generally speaking 'Old Testament' approach to the modern world is encouraged (I also must say that the production values- from the script-writing to the effects, to the acting, to the often-times appalling lack of research done on a subject- are probably among the worst that a human being could ever find on any show, ever). Still, it has it's niche audience and, even if they are somewhat radical right-wing Pentacostals or Uber-Catholics (and I'm not saying anything against either of those groups, for what it's worth... hell, who am I to judge??), in Mexico there are still a helluva LOT of them, so for the last 10 years, 'La Rosa de Guadalupe' has been a fixture, and a staple of Televisa's afternoon line-up....
But then Carlos Mercado barged into Rosy's office. It seems that he found out that Rosy had authorized something in regards to 'La Rosa de Guadalupe' "sin derechos". Meaning, something that she had NO business authorizing unilaterally. So, Carlos Mercado barged in to her office and a screaming match ensued. From what I understand, Rosy tried to assert her authority and her justification for what she had done (I think the actual term I was given was "envalentonado"), but Sr. Mercado called her bluff, said that he would have absolutely no problem 'killing' off LRDG, effective immediately, leaving a HUGE gap in Televisa's afternoon market. Rosy, of course, backed down but apparently Mercado (smelling blood), went even further, telling Rosy that she and she alone was responsible for this mess and she should consider herself lucky if he doesn't go to the 'higher ups' with his story, and his threats, and demand her head because he knows that he would get it. Rosy, apparently, backed down and capitulated to everything that Carlos Mercado wanted. That, apparently, was how it began...
This all happened last week, mind you... what this will foretell for the future is anybody's guess, but....
(Am I alone in thinking that this shit going on 'behind the scenes' at the network is, like, 10 TIMES more dramatic and involving than anything that they're currently airing???? (lol))
Anyway, thanks again, everybody and, as always... my continued best wishes to you all. :-)
Who the hell is left with an Exclusivity Agreement at Televisa?
It seems as if the Dictator booted everyone from the previously untouchable FC, to the beloved SN, to the fantastically versatile AB, and guapísimo SR.
Thank goodness for YouTube.
I now spend my time watching previous novelas I missed at the time of their original airing and that I find worthwhile and, at times, re-watching some of my favorites which never seems to bore me.
Also, I'm sure I'll go back to reading real books--NOT listening to some irritating voice trying to narrate twenty-some odd characters. And thinking along those lines, how I miss the sound and feel of page turning !!
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