Caray, Caray!

I will go first:

A. María Rosa Buscame una Esposa (2000)

B. I started watching telenovelas when one of my Spanish teachers encouraged our class to watch Spanish language TV.

C. I keep watching for the language-learning. It's all about the Spanish! (LOL JudyB)

D. Favorite telenovelas:
Yo Soy Bety La Fea
La Hija Del Mariachi
Corazon Salvaje '93
Amor Real

E. My telenovela beanie hat is a khaki color. Any other color will distract me from watching my telenovela. ;-)
 

doris, thanks a bunch! I will be back later!
 

Doris, this is a great idea to distract us all from continuing isolation . I will organize my thoughts and return to answer your survey.
 

Okay . I'm back with some answers.
A) My first telenovela was Alborada. I was surfing through channels,I sudden!y saw Fernando Colunga in historical costume with high boots , long h air, mustache and beard, and sword. I didn't u understand one word he was saying , Then , I went online and found Pratie Place where Melinama ( Jane ) was singlehandedly translating Alborada. Then hub found videos online and bought them for me because I missed the beginning of the show. He was very tolerant of my new obsession and never laughed at me about it. Hub had recent!y retired , but I was still working. The year was 2007.

B)in 2007 , my mother died the end of May. In addition, Huh and I were moving his mother to a new apartment in September and our first granddaughter was born that month.

C) It was a very intense time,so finding Alborada gave me a needed escape from everything that was happening at that time.

D) My beanie is fuschia...think of the Prince song " Raspberry Beret"...that is my beanie...a Raspberry beret.


 

DORIS...Another great topic. Thanks. I started watching sometime in 2005. I was trying to learn Spanish, mostly on my own, as a way of staving off the dementia that afflicted my mother (and now has affected my older sister.) At that time I did not watch TV. I was strictly a book girl. But my husband, who watches a lot, told me about Univision and so I merrily thought I could pick up the language just by viewing the TV news programs. NOT. All I could understand was "la Casa Blanca" and "el Presidente Bush". But then, I got started watching La Fea Más Bella. Not from the beginning, but sometime in the early going (it was a LONG telenovela) and Julie, one of the recappers, taught me about closed captions. Once those were on, my learning really took off. I was hooked.
Julie also taught me how to "cut and paste", so in my books she is a Total Best Friend!

I found Alborada too upsetting--the evil, the mistreatment of innocents etc. but later on watched it on Roku. Also watched Amor Real. I remain overly sensitive and find I can't watch any of these shows at night. Too upsetting. Have to record and watch in the morning. Unless I'm a recapper. And have been for a number of shows.

I did it for the Spanish. But now I know that I really do it for the CarayCaray community. I've met several CarayCarayers in person, and have corresponded by email with a number of others. It's always been a warm and friendly place to me, and one where I've learned a lot-- not just Spanish. Melinama really created a jewel here and I'm glad that I found it.

Favorites:
Alborada
Amor Real
Juan Querendon--because that was the first one where I joined a recapping team. It was a scary but wonderful experience. Especially the group recap we did for the gran finale. It involved technical hookups that, to this day I still don't understand, but my savvy partners knew exactly what they were doing. And it was a great team experience.

My telenovela beanie is a lovely aqua color because that's the yarn that sweet, lovable Emilia picked to knit for me.
 

A. Okay, it I was 2012 and it was “Por Ella soy Eva”.

B. I was bored channel surfing. I paused on Univision when I saw a guy who looked like he was in drag in a commercial for “Por Ella soy Eva”. That seemed to be so out of the norm from what I imagined a telenovela was, I decided to give it a try and loved it. From doing searches online for PESE, I discovered “Caray, Caray“ where I lurked for a while but soon joined in the commentary.

C. I still watch because I enjoy the telenovela format from 25 to 301 ( the ones I have seen)

D. My all time favorite : “ La fea más bella” with all 301 episodes which I have watched more than several times. . . .

Favorite Comedies/Dramadies: “Por ella soy Eva”
“Mi marido tiene familia”/“ Mi marido tiene más familia”

Favorite Dramas: “La Reina del Sur“ 1&2
“Cuna de lobos” the original
El Príncipe

E. My beanie is bright pink satin trimmed with rhinestones!



 

Oh, I forgot to list my fav tns....
#1 Alborada, #2 .Amor Real, #3 Pasion ..all starting Fernando Colunga
Do you notice a larger happening here ?

Judy , I loved reading about how you fell down this rabbit hole.
 

Oooh, great idea to get some discussion going, Doris! It's a busy day for me but I'll shall return!

 

A. First telenovela I ever watched was La Mentira 1998

B. My mom got me into watching them. She’s Mexican born so it was inevitable that I’d learn Spanish in more than one way growing up.

C. I didn’t watch any telenovelas after La Mentira until La Fea Mas Bella in 2006/early 2007 but I watched that one because of the story and to this day I’ve kept watching to keep practicing Spanish and while most plots haven’t been perfect if there’s a specific actor or actress I’ve come to like then I’ll watch it for them.

D. It’s hard to pick just one favorite but if I had to pick one that I thought was near perfect I’d say El Color De La Pasión

E. IDK lol maybe black
 

Forgot to hit the "email follow-up comments" so I'm here again, to do that. Sure do miss swashbuckling Fernando Colunga and Carla Estrada, though, just like Susanlynn.

There was a lady from Cleveland, a Russian immigrant with whom I corresponded for a while, who was also a Colunga fan. She found his love scenes in Amor Real very inspirational to kick start her own relationship with her husband. So these stories evidently have many uses!
 

Thanks, doris, for this opportunity to go back down memory lane.

First novela was El Privilegio de Amar in 1998.

Like others here, I began watching to increase my comprehension of spoken Spanish.

I keep watching for that same reason, in a way, to keep my ear attuned. The one I'm watching now 100 días para enamorarnos on Telemundo is a real challenge. It takes place in Houston about modern people who use a lot of slang and talk over each other at times. I also enjoy the camaraderie here on Caray. We don't have as many visitors to Telemundo y más as those of you who mostly watch Univisión, but we have a loyal group, And, let's don't forget that these programs are crafted to keep us coming back! The addiction is real!

Favorites: Also on the Colunga bandwagon. I really, really miss novelas de epoca like my #1 fave Amor Real. I also enjoyed Alborada and Pasión. I adored Doña Bárbara on Telemundo. And La Reina del Sur, both seasons, 10 years apart, were fantastic. One I also loved and recapped often for was Flor Salvaje, also on Telemundo.

My beanie is fluorescent yellow.
 

Novelera, Dona Barbara was really something , wasnt it ? Yikes
 

doris, what wonderful topics!

I so enjoyed reading everyone's comments. All great choices.

A. Destilando Amor (2008)

B. Hub started watching and I paid scant attention. However, one fateful day I was walking past and saw Eduardo Yanez' countenance filling the screen. The sun shone, the angels sang and I was hooked. The rest is history.

C. Although the caliber of recent offerings seems to have diminished a bit, I watch for the patio. The lovely, supportive, empathetic and kind recappers and commenters. The language and hawt guys are other pluses.

D. Too many Favorites but I can't limit too much:
Amores Verdaderos
Pasion
La Verdad Occulta
Corazon Salvaje '09
El Nombre del Amor
Teresa

My beanie is blue to match the sky where it transports me when things get silly, ridiculous or sad.

Perhaps we could note our favorite actors and actresses in a future topic as well as villains!

doris, again, thank you!

Diana
 

Okay, so this required a bit of research (which I luurve) thus the tardiness. I’m probably the one who has watched TNs the longest, but I did take various breaks. I answered the questions a bit out of order, but here it goes…
(B) I started watching TNs wa-a-y back as a teenager. Why you ask? Because that’s what my mama watched and my mama ruled LOL….but I did enjoy them. (A) You can see from my list that “Esmeralda” was the first TN I watched (well, that’s the first one I recall watching in its entirety). (D) These are my favorites.

1970 Esmeralda (Lupita Ferrer; Jose Bardina)
1972 Maria Teresa (Lupita Ferrer; Jose Bardina)
1997 Maria Isabel (Adela Noriega; Fernando Carrillo )
1998 El Privilegio de Amar (Adela Noriega, Rene Strickler)
2001 El Manantial (Adela Noriega, Mauricio Islas)
2014 El Color de la Pasión (Esmeralda Pimentel, Erick Elias)
2018 Amar a Muerte (Angelique Boyer; Michel Brown)

(C) Why do I keep watching? I used to watch TNs because I liked them, but back then they were the traditional TN—poor girl meets rich boy; they fall in love, but then the family and/or an obsessive girlfriend manage to split them up. The girl usually finds out she’s pregnant AFTER the break-up. In the end, the couple overcomes all the challenges; and they marry in a beautiful wedding. Boy have TNs changed! Like Judy, now I tend to watch TNs because of the Caray community. If I see one that (somewhat) resembles a traditional TN, I’ll watch it. I also rely on the recommendations of the patio(s) and tolerate everything else solely to read the recaps and commentary. And of course, like Diana, HAWT guys are always a good attraction :-)

(E) The color of my beanie is a mellow yellow…in hopes that it will keep me mellow (doesn’t usually work) LOL
 

Hola, coming in from the Telemundo side. Great topic. Thank you, doris.

A & B: It was way back in the early 70s, when our Spanish teacher recommended we watch Spanish language tv. This was before there was a Telemundo or a Univision and there were 2 Spanish language stations in NYC. The first novela I watched was Simplemente Maria, starring Saby Kamalich. It was in B&W. I couldn’t understand very much (no caps available) and I eventually stopped watching before the end. But I kept tuning in and discovered among others Walter Mercado, Charytín, Iris Chacón and Don Francisco. Watched lots of fútbol, especially World Cup.

Fast forward to 2009 and during a fútbol game I saw a promo for Victorinos starting soon so I tuned into the premiere. This time I understood a lot more Spanish and I was hooked. I’ve been watching at least one show since then.

C: To keep up with my Spanish, of course, and because Caray is a wonderful place.

D: La Reina del Sur 1 & 2, Mas Sabe el Diablo, Flor Salvaje, Sin Senos Si (first season). Others could have been contenders except extreme edits and awful endings ruined it all.

E: Fire engine red with an adjustable chin strap and a propeller on top.

dondi356
 

This is SO fun! Again, a million thanks to Doris!

Rgv Chick, I'm seeing an Adela Noriega trend on your list. I was sad when she stopped doing novelas. She was always great. I had forgotten about El Manantial. I watched every episode of that one. I had to look up the name of Alejandro Tommasi, who played the monster, Justo Ramirez.

Diana, I also watched En Nombre del Amor. Leticia Calderón was fantastic. IIRC she won the award for best villain that year. And her outcome was fantastic. She didn't die, but had to live in a wheelchair, in prison.
 

Novelera and Chickie,

The first time I saw Adela Noriego was in Amor Real. She and Fernando had great chemistry.

I loved Tommasi i n Alborada as Don Luis 's best friend / right hand man .
 

My first telenovela was on the air in 1991: Madres Egoistas. Julieta Rossen was the star with Maria del Sol as the villana. What can I say? You know that title was going to grab me.

I started watching because I was tired of not being able to understand what I was dancing to in flamenco class. I keep watching because I don't get enough conversation practice since I retired.

My favorites include Corazon Salvaje (1993), Yo Compro Esa Mujer, El Clon (original), Mariana de la Noche, Amor Real, Alborada, Hombres de Honor (2005, from Argentina), Dona Barbara (2008), Mujeres de Negro, En Nombre del Amor. I'll make another post tomorrow with more.

My beanie is purple in honor of Leticia Calderon's first megavillain.
 

dondi356 and Novelera, thanks for dropping in! I'm glad you joined in since these topics are general and not restricted to one channel.

dondi356, it looks like you've been watching TNs for as long as I have; and yes, "in the beginning" the TNs I watched were in B&W :-)

Novelera, I did try to watch all the Adela Noriega TNs. That seems to be a trend for me. If there is a protag (male or female) that I like, I tend to watch most of their TNs. And I too was disappointed that she didn't continue. I know several attempts have been made to try to get her to come back, but those have been futile.

Susanlynn, I started to watch Amor Real, but dropped it after a few episodes; I wish I hadn't!
 

Dondi: Victorinos! What a long, strange trip that one was! I dropped out around the time they introduced Victorinas. The plot was based on a novel and the idea of three young men born at the same time with the same name and cursed by a magician, IIRC, was interesting. I think they should have shortened it the way Telemundo seems to do now to ALL the novelas I enjoy.
 

My other favorites include El Privilegio de Amar, Amor Bravio, La Candidata, and La Que No Podia Amar. I would add La Esposa Virgen and Pasion y Poder to the list except for how the writers screwed up the endings.
 

URBAN, enjoyed hearing about your reason for learning Spanish--so you'd understand the words to the music played during your flamenco lessons. My secondary desire to learn Spanish was to understand the Latino music I was picking for my aerobics classes. I'd pretty much run through all the possible rock n roll and country songs by then, and Latino music offered up a whole new field to mine. Very danceable and melodic-- whereas the current music in this country was getting more and more into rap and lyrics that would not go over well with my students. Even if the Spanish lyrics were naughty, I knew my students wouldn't understand much. And they didn't.
 

What a great topic, and terrifc responses. I know I'm coming late to the party, but...

1) The first full telenovela I saw was En Nombre del Amor (2008?). I saw "full" telenovela because for several years before that, I was buying abridged versions--usually about 12-14 hours, with English subtitles. I thought my Spanish would never be good enough to watch a full novela.

2) Like so many others here, I started watching because I wanted to improve my understanding of spoken Spanish, and lots of people suggested I watch telenovelas. My understanding of spoken Spanish is still woefully inadequate, but what the heck!

3) Partly for the Spanish, partly for the friendships I've formed.

4) My favorite, far and away, is La Reina del Sur 1 and 2.

5) I've had varied colors. Not long ago, I came upon a small stash of burgundy yarmulkas left over from my son's bar mitzvah many years ago. I wound up using some to make face masks (after seeing a video showing how), and I use another as my current beanie. I was hoping that, being a yarmulka, it might calm me. Hah!
 

A lot of Colunga fans out there. I only have seen him in “Porque el amor manda”. He was good but the novela not so much. I am looking forward to seeing him in the upcoming (sometime down the line) “Malverde: El santo patrón” on Telemundo.
 

Here are my musings and answers:
A) It was 2008 and I watched Querida Enemiga and hardly understood any of the characters. I thought my Spanish was better than that! It was a terrific start.

B) The telenovela and CarayCaray were recommended by a member (who became a friend) in a local, volunteer Spanish conversation group. I had joined to get me up to speed for a planned return visit to Uruguay to see friends I had kept up with over the years (unlike the Spanish) and to revisit places of my childhood with my son. The conversation group, which I assumed would be stimulating and challenging, turned out to have a lot of beginners. It turned out to be an advantage after all. Once in Montevideo, my host (also my first "boyfriend" at age 10) told me not to worry about my Spanish--a couple of weeks there and it would all come back. Fortunately, his wife spoke English better than he did and she became a friend, too.

C) After I returned, CarayCaray became a daily must and QE was followed by Sortilegio and William Levy. Mmmmmm. So, you can all guess why I keep watching--it's for the male eye-candy, some great acting, some pretty good stories, and that each has a beginning, middle and an end. I kept coming back to Caray to see what other people had to say about whatever we were watching. It became important to be sharing more than the stories with a community of people with different experiences, but non-confrontational. I went from lurker, to anonymous commenter, to named commenter, to timid recapper, to more seasoned recapper, to unexpected co-administrator (with RGV and Kirby).

D) How can I stop at one favorite telenovela? Among the ones I watched, there were several superb offerings, but with varying subjects, interpretations, etc. But clearly one has moved to the top because of its unusual story and the drop-dead sexy Michel Brown: Amar a Muerte.
1-All Fernando Colunga telenovelas and particularly his "de epoca" ones—Amor Real, Alborada and Pasión (didn’t care that much for PEAM or PyP).
2-All Sylvia Navarro telenovelas and particularly Montecristo, CME, Amor Bravío, La Candidata and Caer en Tentación (didn’t care that much for Mi Corazón es Tuyo).
3-All Jorge Salinas telenovelas and particularly LQNPA, La Esposa Virgen, Mariana de la Noche (didn’t care that much for Que Bonito Amor). Am sort of getting used to his interpretation as the antagonist in Te Doy La Vida—he’s very believable, shudder.
4-Other named telenovelas: Un Refugio Para el Amor; Amores Verdaderos, La Verdad Oculta, Reina de Corazones, Preciosa Perla, Quién es Quién, Hotel de los Secretos.
I could go on, but this is already too much for anybody to slog through—even without side comments.

E) My beanie for special occasions is a rainbow of colors, directly from the knitting needles of Emilia. My everyday beanie is ordinary navy blue canvas with patches sewn on of all my favorite galans. The linings, however, are interchangeable. For instance, if a story is going smoothly I have a satin lining. If it goes off the rails or jumps the shark, then I switch to something stronger, like my Staub cast iron cookwear. It makes it incredibly heavy, but that's a reminder to keep saying, it's just a story, it's just a story. Works great.
 

A&B:
In modern times I started watching TNs in 2017. My Spanish had deteriorated over the years from "not terrible" to "very terrible indeed". At a small party I asked a few Spanish speaking women I knew if they could recommend something on television and they all recommended "La rosa de Guadalupe".

So I watched that for a while but it made me think "I really should read Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus."

Fortunately, I saw the promos for an upcoming daytime TN, Mi adorable maldición, which I watched and loved, at least until it started bogging down late in its run. It starred Renata Notni and Pablo Lyle and was set somewhere in Mexican dairy cattle country with all sorts of "characters", including a wise old village priest.
AND the gorgeous, whip-wielding doña Apolonia (Patricia Navidad). Actually, she mostly just always had a fuete in hand; the only time she ever used it was the time she caught her two sons hanging out in the local cantina, she gave each a good fanny whack as they ran out, much to the amusement of the barmaids.

It was a good TN. I can't say if I would like it as much now that I have seen others, but I think so.

C: For the Spanish and for the eye candy.

D: LQNPA, Mi adorable maldición, Mañana. (Not asked, but I'll answer it anyway, Least Favorite TNs: most of them. Even those that really look promising turn out, In My Humble Opinion, to be smelly brown stuff. From really bad (Hijas) to just disappointing because they didn't make any sense despite my best attempts to find some, any, way to make sense of them (Amar a muerte). AAM was especially disappointing. It was so very promising and raised my hopes sky high, but it turned out to be much like a Dan Brown novel, just keep turning the pages, ignore the little nonsensicals, and don't ever stop to think about what just happened or you'll ruin it.

E: My beanie is olive drab, no propeller. A propeller would negate the value of the crash helmet I put on over the beanie.

Andy
 

"At a small party I asked a few Spanish speaking women I knew if they could recommend something on television and they all recommended "La rosa de Guadalupe".

So I watched that for a while but it made me think "I really should read Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.""

Andy, thank you for my morning laugh. LOL I am convinced you are a stand up comic, or a writer of such.

Crash helmet over the beanie hat, indeed. 😂😂😂
 

Anita, "I switch to something stronger, like my Staub cast iron cookwear. It makes it incredibly heavy, but that's a reminder to keep saying, it's just a story, it's just a story." I really need to try one of those linings :-)

Andy, always a joy to read your comments :-) I had noticed your occasional comments on Mi Adorable Maldicion but didn't know it was the first TN you had watched; I watched it too. It was "okay" and much better than Hijas. The scene that I always think of is pregnant Aurora laying on the ground with her balloon-sized stomach up; I thought she would float away. I don't think I've ever seen such a ridiculously large stomach before LOL

Too bad you didn't like Amar a Muerte It's not a traditional TN, but it's quite different and I really enjoyed it. Like Anita, the HAWT Michel Brown was definitely an added attraction :-) But it just goes to show different strokes for different folks. And that is one of the things I like about Caray, Caray! There are so many differing opinions...and they are accepted and respected by everyone.

Have a wonderful day, Patio!
 

So, very late but sneaking in to say how much enjoyment this patio brings. My first TN was La Esposa Virgen. I ran across the promos while flipping channels and thought I should give it a try. My Spanish was sketchy and I wasn't aware of closed captions, so I struggled. Nevertheless, I stayed with it. I didn't watch the next one, which I regret to this day--it was Alborada. Then hubby was flipping channels and stopped to watch La Fea Most Bella. He told me it was funny and I should watch it, so I picked up not too far from the beginning. I really liked it and stayed with it to the end.

Hard to remember all the ones I liked. Loved Pasion. Also liked LQNPA, Mariana de la Noche, Sortilegio, Amarte Es Mi Pecado. I always liked the ones in a rural settings. Watched many of the Univision ones. I don't have Unimas and wish I did.

My beanie is the traditional tin foil hat. If I get angry and the TN and crush it, I can always reinvent another one.
 

Rgv Chickie, Mi adorable maldición was the first TN I watched in many years. Previously I watched quite a few telenovelas because that's what She Who Must Be Obeyed had declared we would watch. And I was not to touch the remote control under pain of excommunication. So we watched telenovelas though I understood little and cared less even though I got briefings during commercials.
Things changed a bit when we saw the Colombian TN Yo soy Betty, la fea which we both loved. And I even understood a good deal of it... if I'm remembering correctly.
After she died I lost interest in TV for a long time until about 2016 or so when I decided to revive the little Spanish I still retained.
 

Andy,I guess telenovelas can serve many purposes . I always enjoy your comments because they give me a smile, and we all need to get some smiles somewhere. I liked your Andygrams of the infamously insipid Hijas. When we all abandoned it, you chose to go down with the ship
 

Hi, Andy. Thanks for sharing. Telenovelas seem to fill a variety of needs. I'm always enjoy reading your comments which often give me a smile or a giggle. I loved your andygrams of weird Hijas.

OT..Anita, I was channel surfing last week and happily surfed into a channel that is showing " A Place to Call Home" every Monday 8am to 2 pm , so I am catching up quickly. It is an Australian telenovela !! Afterall, all these shows are about some form of the human condition..sometimes in a weird, warped way.
 

I'm definitely checking back in. What a great discussion!!!!
 

A). The first novela I watched was in 1978 while living in Cali, Colombia. It was the B&W RTI Producción 'El caballero de Rauzán', later refrito as La Traición by Televisa. It was loads of fun, as we were living in a hotel and the Chef would make a special, fancy dinner for us; and we'd eat enthralled in front of a small TV in his room. So we got a double treat that night: A mouth watering meal along with an entertaining show. Besides there were no other worthwhile TV offerings—just stupid Spanish game shows.

B). I started watching novelas because living in a hotel with a husband who was on call 24/7, and no car, didn't allow too much outside daytime activity. The cartels had just gotten started, so it was always a worry they'd kidnap a hotel guest, usually American or European or the Hotel foreign staff. O/T, In Venezuela, our baby daughter came close to being kidnapped, but the smart, pistol carrying hotel chauffeur saved the day.

C). I geared up again after retiring in 1985 and wanted a change from my Law & Order, SUV, and CSI addiction.

First I started with 'La verdad oculta'; then 'Alborada' (where, somehow, miraculously I came across Pratie Place and Melinama (Jane); next came 'Amor Real' which took my breath away and where I feel madly in love with Fernando Colunga; and, now, watching telenovelas is my main past time.

I keep watching because I'm addicted, I love hanging out on the Patio with Caraymates; and I really enjoy keeping up with everybody. Additionally I'd love to share more about what you guys do during your personal lives, as I'm sure it's much more exciting than mine. Regular USA TV shows suck IMO. I love fairy tales, I hate the news, my thumb is bent from holding a book open so many hours a day for decades, and I really enjoy being transported away from reality.

4). Favorites
Amor Real. I've watched AR at least ½ dozen or more times.
Corazón Salvaje 93.
Pasión. Another one I've watched multiple times.
La Mentira
Pasión gavilánes. While not one of my top 10 favorites, eye candy Michel Brown kept my mouth watering.

5). My beanie is multicolored because I'm a very indecisive person.

Extra

The one telenovela I couldn't get through was Doña Bárbara. And if I know ahead of time, I won't watch novelas with 'unconventional endings'. I don't like comedies either, or some actors I just don't like or get swapped with. Seeing the mass exodus from Televisa yo Telemundo will be interesting to watch.

I tend to have a hard time when an actor switches from villain to hero or vice versa. Jose Elias Moreno is one.

Urban
I've been searching high and low for 'Yo compro esa mujer'. No luck!

JudyB
Right now I'm stuck on Chayanne and 'Mariana Mambo' and all his super charged, dance videos. He and Shakira should have a belly dancing competition.

Thanks for reading.


 

Susanlynn--You said it all in a nutshell. The all-purpose telenovela. Something for all of us. As for making us smile, many do it, but you have the knack.

I'm so happy to have someone to share A Place to Call Home. Isn't Marta Dusseldorp/Sarah gorgeous AND talented? She exudes calmness, while knowing exactly when to assert herself. Home has moved into a new phase, but still a fascinating look at Australia and Australian series-making. But most of all, having lived through the fashion "sense" of the mid to late 1950's, I love to see wardrobe's interpretation of the era.

Are you sure about Andy and Hijas? I thought we abandoned Manana and his Andygrams kept us posted on how far it fell. (I agree Hijas was insipid, but Manana was a cess pool of wrong headed morality.)
 

Susanlynn and Victoria--Sorry for the delay in posting your comments. After six days they come to me to publish or not (that keeps a lot of spam and trolls out). Yesterday was the day my grandson came to live with me for the foreseeable future (maybe 1-3 mos.) before his move to San Francisco to work for Microsoft. He starts WORK remotely next week and wanted to leave the nest. This counts as 6 degrees of separation, I guess, after being on his own at Penn State for 4 years.

That is all to say that things were in a bit of an uproar doing last minute tiding up, helping him move in and returning the rental car (he drove in from Boston with ALL his stuff.) Caray was not on my agenda in the afternoon.

Victoria--Amazing what an impact Alborada and Amor Real had on so many of us Carayers. Yes, thanks to Jane she pulled off an amazing blog with an incredible following. I'm sorry we have lost so many of our early-on recappers and commenters, but am enjoying revisiting the tns that are now being rebroadcast on Unimas and re-reading the recaps and comments.
 

Adriana Noel here.
This is a great topic, Doris, thank you!

As opposed to many of you I didn't start watching telenovelas to learn Spanish, I learned Spanish because I started watching telenovelas.

I grew up in Eastern Europe where novelas became a huge hit in the early 90's. I watched a lot of novelas from Venezuela, Columbia, Argentina and Peru, Mexico and the US came much later. I still remember running home from school to watch Esmeralda or cutting short my summer vacation afternoons to watch Kassandra. Those were the days...

1. First novela: Mala Mujer (Venezuela): the classic story of twin sisters loving the same man, some revenge plot and a very bad wig is involved also. That was when I watched my first novela love scenes (it was in episode 75, and I will NEVER forget it).

2. I started watching because my mom did and I was a shy preteen, who loved luuuv stories. I loved the drama, the fashion, the poor girl meets handsome gullible fool trope.

3. I keep watching because they remind me of my childhood home, the nights spent with my mom, they offer a form of escapism, I'm still a sucker for a handsome Cristian de la Fuente type and they keep me in contact with the great people I met here.

4. Some of my favorites are from my early years of watching: Kassandra, Esmeralda, La Usurpadora, La Mentira, Antonella, Muneca Brava. Then there was also Pasion de Gavilanes, Cafe con Aroma de Mujer, Yo soy Betty, la fea, El Clon. Plenty more come to mind, but the latest that I truly loved was Amor Bravio ( I know, it's been a while, but I got distracted by real life).

5. I never needed a beanie to watch novelas, because I never compare them to real life, they're just too silly. I did love the concept when I got used to it here on Caray, Caray, so if I'd have to choose a color, it would be violet, it works well with my green eyes (gotta be pretty, right?)

This chat makes me want to go look up old novelas on youtube, I found it to be a great source especially for older ones, who nobody "cares" about anymore.