Saturday, June 14, 2014

Weekend Discussion: The Narcissism Epidemic

Narcissism is one of the most common mental disorders of telenovela villains.  Many people have a very simplistic definition of it:  Muhammad Ali.  His "I am the greatest" is how many people see narcissism.  The sad truth is that it's far more complex than that.

Narcissists see themselves as the center of the universe.  Everyone else exists for their purposes and once they cease to satisfy them, they either become evil or non-existent.  They are incapable of dealing with their own faults and assign them to others as a way of ridding themselves of them.  In extreme form they can be diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

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Friday, January 17, 2014

Weekend Discussion: Censorship, the Plague (Revisited)

Anthony Comstock, Father of Modern Censorship

Note: This is a revised version of the article published here about a year ago.

What's the Point?

We complain about it all the time among ourselves. We should be complaining to the networks about this.

About eight years ago I heard this subject covered on Anderson Cooper's program in which comments were made about the body heat being generated before Mexican and other Hispanic TV cameras on our favorite shows. The news team was wondering why the English-language networks were being raked over the coals and submitted to the rack to censor programs of this salacious material while the Univisions and Telemundos were being left alone. No answer was forthcoming and I don't recall them taking the subject very seriously, but I took this seriously enough to call a VP at Univision to let her know about it. I found the transcript of the broadcast online and sent the link to her with a cover note. After she read the page she let me know that nothing is going to interfere with the content of the programs. No te preocupes.
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Saturday, October 05, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #124 (Mex 162) Friday 10/4/13 ¡Qué Bonita Boda Del Barrio! ¡Qué Ridículo Fin De Los Villanos! ¡Qué Horror de Nueva Pareja!


Cap162

Santos last sees Giuliano burning in the warehouse cuz now Old Goldie is no more than a crispy critter.  

A while later, Mirna calls the mariachis back to the bar and tells them the place is opening up again.  She presents the funny looking guy in the crazy Denny’s horn rims and nose disguise as the new owner.  He wants them to talk Maria into singing with them—that’s the only way, but she’s not to know he’s the new owner.  The guys try to convince her to sing again with them, but she’s reluctant to dress up like a mariachi anymore because of all the Jorge Alfredo memories.  She finally accepts, tho’, after they guilt her into it.  They promised they’d always be together.

The night the curtain at the bar finally goes up again, Maria dedicates the song and the program to Santos.  Before she can start singing, up in the balcony JAntos begins singing.  She cries tears of disbelief and joy.  Fernando looks up and smiles, though he is shocked and also relieved to see his best bud alive and in the flesh.

At the end of the set Maria races up to the balcony and JA explains he had to fake his death in order to save all their family and friends’ lives.   They kiss and then he goes to the stage and shakes everybody’s hand.  Somehow all the guys have gotten their life’s wish and realize it must have been JA who managed it.  Although, for Fernando, his father’s freedom was not manageable, JAntos tells him.  

A few minutes later, Fernando is alone in the back area behind stage near the dressing rooms with his head in his hands.  He doesn’t hear his father approach.  When he looks up, there’s Don Nando, free at last and back in the barrio.  Turns out he’d never murdered anybody so they let him go.  He says he’d always planned on coming back to them but life played a terrible trick on him and his family.   The only thing missing for Fernando is Jalisquito.

Meanwhile, Elvira connects with a man in black pea coat and black leather gloves who she promises to help get revenge.  We never see his face.

Maria surprises her family by bringing the living Jorge Alfredo home with her.  Isa (whose baby daddy and mommy are never found out) is thrilled he’s back.

The next day Maria and JAntos, Justo and Wendy show Amalia and the girls their new fabulous mini-manse in the burbs.  Since she gave them a home when they needed one and never asked anything in return, they felt the least they could do was present her with this one.  Justo has also brought her the deed to the house in Guadalajara that she and Pedro had been so happy living in when first married.  Justo takes a moment to mention that he’s been offered the position as French Amabassador for Mexico, his life’s dream.  When Amalia worries that they’ll never see him again, Justo tells her that he believes she’ll see plenty of him—that is if she allows him to initiate a formal courtship.  She agrees.  (Viewerville boos.)

JAntos shows Isa her new bedroom and inside there’s a puppet theatre with lots of puppets, all hers now to play with whenever she wants.

Fernando is about to board the bus to Guadalajara to look for Jalisquito who has just gotten off the same bus and left his little gift guitar on the seat.  He and Fer pass each other in the bus station, but don’t notice one another.  Jalisquito remembers he left the guitar on the bus and gets to it just as it’s pulling away and Fer’s picked up the forgotten guitar.  Fer looks out the window and thankfully finally notices Jali standing on the station’s lot and gets the bus driver to stop and let him off.  They hug and all’s well with the world.  A couple of days later we see them going to a recording studio and Jali gets an agent(?) to listen as he cuts his first record--one of many we figure our boy wonder will make.

El Coloso comes home and Rodrigo is crying over Paloma again because apparently their last plan failed.  All Col can say is that there’s plenty of other fish in the sea and he’ll help him find another.

JAntos isn’t done with playing Santa yet.  He takes Maria to a beautiful high rise office building in the heart of beautiful downtown Mexico City and gives her the keys to her new law office for charity cases (QTH?)—er…women and children in need.  (Wouldn't they normally be in the barrio?)

Meanwhile, Aaron asks Pal to go steady.  She’s not sure she wants to and says they are really only friends.  Sindy is listening in the doorway and barges in to say that Aaron needs to tell her the truth: that he and Vanessa had a bet for an MP3 player full of top tunes that he could score [ligarse] with Paloma before Vanessa could score with Rodri.  He yells back that that was only at first, but since then he’d fallen in love with her.  Paloma slaps the craps out of him and races off to apologize to Rodrigo.  Pal and Rodri are a truesome twosome once more.  (Vanessa’s come-uppance was apparently left on the cutting room floor.)

Back at Ruben’s, hotel room, he and Elvira force Mirna to help with their plans of revenge towards Maria and JAntos or her daughter gets offed.  So, a bit later, while Maria is setting the table for a special dinner, Mirna comes in screaming and yelling that she has to come to the bar cuz Jorge Alfredo and Ruben are mixing it up over her or some such.  Maria races off to the bar but doesn’t seem to find anyone there.  Suddenly Crispy Critter with half his face melted is on the balcony clapping and asking for a personal performance.  His goons take her to a warehouse, tie her up, and gag her in a chair with a sword dangling up top of her head.  There’s a video set up and Elvira and Ruben are there to laugh at her misery.

Santos, meanwhile, has a feeling Maria’s in trouble and leaves to find her.  He’s kidnapped off the street by another set of goons who’ve we must assume been following him.  They bring him to a different warehouse with the same sword of Damocles set up where OG is waiting for him.  OG shows him the video-cam hook up and says they’ll watch each other suffer and die (huh?).  In between Maria’s tears and OG’s threats, Santos and Maria spit out their gags and profess their profound and everlasting love for each other.

Suddenly Juli sees Bruno appearing all around the room and threatening to take him to Hell.  Santos taunts Juli about his seeing ghosts.  Ruben and Evile-ra can’t understand what’s gotten into Juli and think he’s gone nutty.  Santos breaks free and, in the worst choreographed fight I’ve ever seen, overcomes Juli and manages to tie him up under the same sword.  Ruben thinks it’s some sort of a trick Juli’s played on them and he races over to the other warehouse to get even with Juli for letting Vargas escape. 

Outside, Santos runs into Derecho who tells him they know where Maria’s being kept.  Viewerville assumes that Mirna called Malo who called Derecho and Curtis.  They give Santos a lift with them.  Ruben shows up in the meantime and surprises Juli.  Rather than untying OG, he brings a box of something and sets fire to it.  Again, Viewerville assumes it’s some sort of bomb and that Ruben finishes what Santos started and that Bruno now has his cuz as a roomy.

Apparently, Vi escapes the warehouse and leaves Maria alone to be rescued.  Santos pulls her off the chair only seconds before the sword comes flying towards the empty chair.   

Ruben is back at the hotel room and throwing all the cash he made into a metal suitcase.  Vi enters and asks if he’s intended to leave her.  Yep.  There’s nothing between them, nothing in common, he explains snidely.  Each of them is better off going ther own way.  Ok, but she doesn’t have any money.  Too bad, says Ruben.  He turns his back on her for something and she pulls out a gun and shoots him in the back, taking the suitcase of cash with her.  (That's the last time any of us has to see that dude's crazy, bobble-headed smile.  Yippee!)

Sometime later, the whole barrio is full of mariachis playing Negrita and Que Bonita Amor and Si Nos Dejan, etc.  JAntos is dressed in a white charro and gets on his horse to lead the parade with the El Col and Fer.  They ride with the mariachis throughout the whole of Garibaldi til eventually, he joins Maria, who is dressed in her mariachi bridal gown.  Amalia is in her Mariachi finest also and doesn’t look half bad as she hands over Maria to JA.  JA and Maria chat about how today starts the rest of forever together.  She rides through the rest of Garibaldi in a carriage.  Justo shows up in the crowd and looks on.  

Eventually the parade ends back at the church again and El Coloso is there to walk her into the church and to give her away forever.  No, says Maria.  He’s her friend and will always be her brother.  Just then a beautiful blue-eyed blond friend of Maria’s walks up and is introduced to El Col who asks Maria if she believes in love at first site.  Maria says sure, cuz that’s the way it was for her and JAntos.

At the same time we get Evilera also dressed in a wedding dress swearing this is her wedding day.  The ceremony begins.  Somewhere in the middle of it, crazy Vi from the back of the church pulls a gun and aims it at Maria.  Out of nowhere, Lt. Curtis grabs her and grabs the gun from her.  She’s under arrest for Ruben’s murder and for the attempted murder of Maria.  Vi gives up without even a whimper.  (Who’d a thunk that?)  Just then the priest declares Santos and Maria man and wife and they kiss.
                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There’s an homage to mariachi’s and their world-wide appeal immediately following.  The cast is shown signing autographs for their fans who are in throngs along the barricades of the set.  Then the cast is all on an inside stage setting once again waving to Viewerville as the curtain at AJNTR Bar literally comes down on this performance and the screen reads ~~El FIN~~.  Yipee! We can now stick a fork in it cuz it's done! 

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Friday, October 04, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #123 (Mex 161) Thursday 10/3/13 Que Desordenado Camino al Fin

Santos heads back to the prison to collect his stuff, now that he's been freed.  Justo gloats just a tiny bit to Mr. "I'm Unbeatable" Summers.

Santos moons over Maria's pictures while she stands by the Emergency Traje and strokes her flat belly.

Summers' talk with Giuliano via cell phone, wherein he threatens OG that he has enough evidence to bring him down, is overheard by the judge.  The judge orders Summers to hand over the evidence and the cell phone.

The mariachis start to promote the event, putting up posters.

Santos is summoned to…um…er…fill out paperwork…yeah…by OG's pet guard.

Ruben rips a poster off the wall, saying he and Maria are going to have a lot of fun tonight.

The guard points a gun at Santos in some dark hall of the prison dungeons.

Elvira is grumpy about the event at the bar, but OG tells her she's going to walk in there like a goddess, dripping with jewels…but first, there's something she's gotta do….

OG's guard gets busted by the warden and a couple of other guards.
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Thursday, October 03, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #122 (Mex 160) Wednesday 10/2/13 Santos is exonerated, Mirna’s secret is out, Rodri’s done w/Paloma. Whatever.

D.F.

Refrito:  The Mendoza women (y el perro tambien) celebrate their reunion;  Colosso clobbers Ruben who announces he's planning to close JNTR and suggests turning it into a parking lot maybe. 

Fer and Ruben exchange war of words, ending with Ruben repeating that he's planning to close JNTR and he has Mirna to back him up.

Mirna agrees the bar is in its worst crisis, and indeed most businesses do see some hard times.  It would be in the owners' best interest to close at this time.  Susanito disagrees:  he's not interested in money.  He's only interested in keeping the mariachis and himself employed.  She reminds him she was the administrator of this here bar for many years, playing intermediary between them and Concho.  Fer accuses her of only watching out for her own interests.  She claims people change and actually proposes they don't close the bar and allow the mariachis an opportunity to run the bar and see if they can make a profit.  Ruben is muy impactado – not a happy camper. Mirna looks like she's got something up her sleeve.                     

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Wednesday, October 02, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #121 (Mex 159) Tuesday 10/1/13 As JAntos slumbers . . .

Que Bonito Amor, Oct. 1, 2013, Cap 159—As JAntos slumbers . . .

Sleeping Beauty: JAntos spends most of this episode prone and unconscious.

SUMMARY (typed as I watched): 

Refried: Ana chewing the adoption people a new one for losing Jalesquito. Isa telling Coloso that Don Concho killed one of her dads (Pedro).

Maria figuring out via nice lady on bus that she might be pregnant. This thrills her.

Happy to think she's got JAntos's bun in her oven.

THE NEW:

Aaron and Rodrigo do a musical number together as they fight for Paloma's heart. It's kind of weird.

She has to deal with these nutty boys.

Blah blah blah love triangle we don't care blah blah blah.
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Monday, September 30, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #120 (Mex 158) Monday 9/30/13 Temporary Losses and a Major Confession

This looks like a lot of overcompensation to us.

El Lay Prison: In the cell Michael tells Santos to keep on fighting and he will help. Maria enters the visiting lounge to visit Santos and a guard is sent to get him.

Doña Magnolia's Place: Isabel and Ana visit Amalia on the job. Ana brings Amalia some groceries despite being short on cash herself. She is about to go to Guadalajara to see El Jalisquito.

Guadalajara, DIF Facility: Vicente strums a child's guitar as a social worker approaches him to tell him that a young couple has come to see him for a possible adoption. He doesn't want to be adopted by anyone else, but the social worker is less than sympathetic.  She tells him that if all is well he will be adopted by these people in a week.
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Saturday, September 28, 2013

Mentir Para Vivir! (Synopsis)

[This one takes the place of QBA in the 10 PM Eastern time slot and starts on 10/7.  Anybody interested in recapping or subbing, let Melinama know.]


Oriana will be forced to take another identity in order to protect her daughter.  She will have to confront many obstacles and schemes that will make her Lie In Order To Live!

Oriana Caligaris (Mayrin Villanueva—Eduardo Santamarina’s wife) and Jose Luis Falcon (Diego Olivera) are a Mexican married couple who, for some years now, live in Columbia and today have a six year old daughter named Alina (Ana Paula Martinez).

Jose Luis works in the Columbian Customs Office.  One day he confesses to Oriana that he did some contraband transactions and he deposited the earnings from those in an account under her name without her consent. Therefore, she is involved/implicated and the police are now looking for the two of them.  Disillusioned and disappointed, Oriana flees to Mexico with her daughter, Alina, in order to look for a very dear friend, Raquel (Altair Jarabo) who, together with Lucina (Cecilia Gabriela), is owner  of Hotel El Descanso in San Carlos, in the state of Sonora.  

Among the guests at the hotel is Don Gabriel Sanchez (Alejandro Tommasi), an old friend of Lucina’s, business partner of an important textile manufacturer located in Hermosillo, Senora. After being a widower, he is now remarried.  His wife (Lourdes Munguia) is an ambitious woman twenty years his junior, and whose brother, Berto (Ferdinando Valencia) is a gigolo/opportunistic playboy.  Gabriel is father of Ricardo (David Zepeda), a successful engineer and of a rebellious adolescent, Sebastian (Alejandro Speitzer). 

One day while Don Gabriel is with Alina,   a gunshot is heard and he falls down dead.  Oriana runs in and finds her daughter with a pistol in her hand.  Alarmed, she fears that Alina shot the gun.  At this point, Lucina takes control of the situation, deciding to send the two to Guaymas, Sonora to protect them.  

When Ricardo arrives at San Carlos to pick up his dead father’s body and to start an investigation, he’s informed that the principal suspect of the crime is a young woman who’s traveling together with her little daughter.   

At that same time, Ines Valdivia (Laisha Wilkins), a strange reclusive young woman, takes up lodging at the hotel and dies unexpectedly.  Always the clever one, Lucina takes advantage of the situation to ensure Oriana assumes Ines’s identity, using false documents, thus placing her safely away from the contraband investigation as well as that of Don Gabriel’s murder.  Oriana has her misgivings, but she has no other option than to (duhn-duhn-duhn-duhhhhhhh!!!!)  Lie In Order To Live!!!!!

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Qué Bonito Amor #119 (Mex 157) Friday 9/27/13 Is He A Sacrificial Lamb Or A Horse's Ass?

Capítulo 157 


Well, It's clear that Matlock and Mason they ain't.  Lawless and disorderly is more likely, but never having been in a courtroom myself, let alone having witnessed a federal criminal trial proceeding--such as this telenovela version claims to be--what do I know?  

·        Mirna looks on from a distance as Malo and sidekick handcuff Ruben and take him in for questioning.  He swears he’ll find out who gave him up to the coppers and make them pay!  She stares down at a photo, tenderly smooths it and declares, “—I did it for you, totally for you.”  (Baby Mommy alert for Isa!!)
·   
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Friday, September 27, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #118 (Mex 156) Thursday 9/26/13 Que Inútil Día de Investigaciones

Paloma lets herself get talked into a frappé.  I can understand that.  I'm a fan of the frozen beverage.  Frappuccino.  Smoothie.  Margarita.

Milamores is called on to testify to Santos' good character.  The prosecutor calls him on the lack of proof, which is apparently only required of the defense and not the prosecution.  Milamores brings up the incarceration of his father for over 30 years without trial as proof of the US's crappy justice system.  Of course, the prosecutor objects to this.  Milamores calls for the immediate release of his father and Santos, both.  The judge tells everyone to STFU, go home, cool off, and be prepared to behave like adults when they start the trial back up again or he'll kick everyone out.

OG is hanging out in Maria's new place.  Gross!  Don't touch the traje!  You'll stain it with your grossness!  He takes video of himself sniffing the traje as he taunts Santos that he's in Maria's room and if Santos doesn't declare himself guilty, OG will rape Maria.  Not in so many words, but we all know that's what he means.  He reminds Santos that he's being watched, so he'd better not do anything stupid.

Mirna is shocked to find out Ruben is planning to close down the bar as his revenge.  He wants the mariachis out on the street.  Not Mirna, though, he'll find a job for her.  Mirna asks for compensation, from losing her job at the bar, I presume.  Elvira walks in on them getting a little frisky and demands to know QTH is going on.
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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #117 (Mex 155) Wednesday 9/25/13 Here comes Da Judge….Here comes Da Judge!!!


We're almost at the end folks!!

Justicia Americana:

Merry Mariachi's act up in court, Derecho testifies he estimates Santos laundered over $200 Million (dollars). Justo objects, saying Derecho is only speculating.  Summers presents bank statements as evidence of a BancoAmerica account used to move the money – an account that was curiously closed two days after the demise of Garza Cars......tan tan TAN!!  Santos vehemently objects, cuz in this version of Justicia Americana he can, saying that account never existed for the bidness
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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #116 (Mex 154) Tuesday 9/24/13 Time to face the music

Ladies- Parts one and two are up

I'm going to do this in two parts, first what's going on in Mexico and then the happenings in El Lay, that way I won't have to jump back and forward.

In Mexico Amalia and the girls are out on the street, Aaron offers Paloma a place to keep their furniture, everyone is devastated by being kicked out of their homes (see, this is why sometimes it's better to own, rather than rent), Mancia has taken to the streets and is trying to make extra money by reading peoples fortunes using the tarot cards, she tells Irasema that a card keeps coming up and it bothers her because it means nothing good is on the horizon, Irasema tells her that the last thing they need is more bad luck.

Vanessa and Aaron are discussing Paloma's woes and Aaron tells Vanessa not to make fun of Palomas situation, then he confesses that he really digs Paloma and wants to be with her, even if it means that he loses the bet he made with Vanessa. I like this kid.
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Monday, September 23, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #115 (Mex 153) Monday 9/23/13 Forgiveness

 

Lo del pasado

Elvirus delights in evicting Amalia and her daughters while making fun of Maria. She then rips something off the shrine to the Virgencita before walking out in her FM shoes. [Elvira, God will get you for that.]

Lo de nuevo

Prison Yard: The band begins playing “Las Rejas No Matan” and Oscar sings as Santos introduces Mike to Maria. He is clearly impressed with her.
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Saturday, September 21, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #114 (Mex 152) Friday 9/20/13 Fernando Gets Hitched, Amalia Gets Ditched, and JAntos Is Again Bewitched



Capítulo 152 

While Fernando’s wedding prep gets going, Maria has a face off at the restaurant she’s working at sin papeles [undocumented illegal]  with Giuliano at gunpoint.  And, as La Diva del Desierto so astutely put it: Maria mouths off to OG and ends up with a gun to her back. And no one in the restaurant gives a crap.Least of all, Maria!!   Old Gold (de Giuliano) shouldn’t expect her to be intimidated so easily, says she eying him with a steely stare realizes this broad ain’t backin’ down for nobody no how.  “Stay out of my way!  I’m going to prove Jorge Alfredo’s innocent!  You don’t know me.  You don’t know what I’m capable of!”   OG modifies the cat-herding approach for the dazzle and wow ‘em with your provocative macho wit technique (and he earned a law degree?) declaring with a malignant macho swagger how enjoyable dueling with a snippy-yippy broad is for him.  He leaves it at “you’ve been warned.”  She snaps back as he pockets his pistol and heads for the nearest exit: “—We’ve been warned!”

Meanwhile, back in El Lay, Don Nando tells Santos he refuses to contact his long-forgotten son in order to make amends.  He’s better off remaining dead to his son than trying to explain what he cannot remember.  Santos informs Don Nando then that he could ask to have his case reopened because he was never legally sentenced.  He suggests petitioning the court to have him either sentenced or set free.  Why, asks the old man, if he has nothing and nobody to go back to?  Santos insists he has a country, and a life to return to with an obligation to his son.  Take care of the obligation and return to the life and family and friends he left, advises Santos. 

Back in the barrio, Aaron barges in to Paloma’s place again.  She complains about his lack of manners: what’s his problem that he always just walks on in “like he owns the place” [como pedro por su casa]?  He says sorry, but they’ve got to finish or redo the assignment they were working on together, he lies.   That convinces her and while she’s got her back to the door and he’s sweet talking her into coming back to his place to do the assignment, Rodrigo bounds up the stairs and to the stop with a crinkle-wrapped bouquet of flowers goes totally unnoticed by Paloma.  Aaron, though, sees him out of the corner of his eye and lays on a heavy dose of dove-coo doo-doo which Rodri falls for.  Rod sneaks off and from a distances observes the newsome-twosome leave, then smashes his bouquet outside her doorway and cries tears of adolescent angst.  FF>>

Back at Rodri’s apartment, El Coloso and Don Rod are arguing over Col’s attempt at making cinnamon flavored coffee.  Suffice it to say a barista he isn’t.  Talk turns to Rodri and how he’s head over heels for Paloma [cacheteando las banqueta’s] and needs to get things patched up.  Rodri comes in yelling and screaming, ready to kick the cat if they had one.  More heartache and jealousy because of the “newsome twosome”.  The two adults try calming him down and remind him that he may have lost the battle but the fight ain’t over till it’s over.  FF>>

Don’t know what Aaron and Pal are listening to but they are on a bench in the plaza sharing Aaron’s earphones and listening together to something on his i-pod/i-phone.  Pal is smiling at whatever she’s listening to.   The plan, we learned earlier, is to have Vanessa sneak a snapshot of the two of them and post it on his Facebook page, which she dutifully does.  Rodri sees the web page and the photos of her and Aaron smiling and listening to tunes with his “new gal.”  Rodri goes BSC again. 

Suzanito, Mancia and Irasema visit the church, light their candles, and make their plea.

Rodri, Col and Don R have lunch at the same street-side café and the same cute waitress waits on them again.  Col gives her a little keyring with a huge heart-shaped fob on it.  She now holds the keys to his heart.  FF>>

Suz and Irasema get to work makin’ babies again.

Back at the bar, later that day, Pichi and Lalo are setting up for the wedding and do a complete rundown of all the bullet-worthy news events of the past few months.  “--Who’d have thought that…--”   

The wedding takes place at the bar and El Baritono returns to add to the musical madness and Don Rod is now dressed in a charro and one of the group. They all serenade the newlyweds while Pal stands by Rodri but is painfully ignored throughout.

Back in El Lay, by the light of the moon, Maria works on her legal notes and Santos looks through his, swearing that they’ll prove his innocence and finally be free to love each other with the law hanging over their heads.

Suz tells the mariachis that the bar’s losing money badly and he hates the idea of turning it back over to her in the red.  Justo gives them the news that JAntos’s trial has been moved up.  Maria has an idea that might help his son and she’s got a plan that needs their assistance if they’re willing to do what he suggests. 

The reception ends.  Fernando and Ana have their wedding night and then Fer starts packing.  Irasema packs the bags for Suz. 

Col promises Rodri that he’ll make sure that Paloma and he get back together.

Meanwhile, back at the bar, Pichi and Lalo find out that the bar is haunted!

End parte 1~~

===========
Parte 2~~

Ruben hands El-vile-ra the file with the contract giving him ownership of Maria’s colonia. They agree she’s the one to go to Maria’s and kick her and her family out onto the street since he’s still a fugitive from the law.  She gladly accepts and they laugh e-vile-ly.

Meanwhile, the mariachis arrive in El Lay, U.S.A. with Justo and surprise JAntos at the prison with a Ranchero Musicale for the Mexican prisoners who’ve apparently been on good behavior recently.  Santos points out all the members.  Michael says don’t bother telling me who the guitar player is, he’s got to be Mil Amores cuz he looks so much like Don Nando.  Mikey asks if Santos plans on introducing the two to each other.  Santos says he’d like to be he doesn’t know how Fernando will feel about it.

Inside the prison, Don Nando is awakened by the music (and Viewerville is pondering that possibly his memories are also.) 

To top things off, Maria now arrives dressed in her best charra finery and sings a special serenade to her one and only.  It becomes a duet as JAntos jumps to her side and sings along with her.  They end it with a passionate kiss.

At the same time, the big bad wolf of a prosecuting attorney [fiscal] is complaining to Old Goldie that it won’t be as easy as they’d like locking up Santos Martinez de la Garza because of all the inconsistencies in his case. (You can say that again—try in this whole storyline! But never fear cuz his Lady-Love and Lawyer is there to save the day!  And we all know what  a whiz Maria is at finding case irregularities and mopping up the floor with nasty opposing counsels.)  “--For one thing, the cops who put him in jail were a couple of total useless fools.” (I prefer screw-ups, or better still, the street vernacular, i.e., fuck-ups!)  Well, no big deal, OG says, cuz he’s got an ace up his sleeve, one last big bad-ass card to play, and he plans to use it at the right time.  “--So, in the meantime, Mr. Prosecutor, let me worry about when to play that card!  You do your job and squash him!” 

Back in the barrio, there’s a loud, rude banging on Maria’s mother’s door.  Hello!!  It’s Elvile-ra there with an eviction notice!  Amalia says this can’t be because my daughter the lawyer had the judge put a stop to it!  Not so fast, says the Elvile-ra with a snide look and a snicker.  Maria the great lady lawyer must have lost, because the judge says it’s valid.  Now get out, take that junk with you and make it fast!”  But we don’t have anywhere else to go, squeals Amalia.  Not my problem, lady, says Elvile-ra.  She snaps her fingers at the movers who smash Isa’s dolly’s arm on the way out with the couches.  So much for that kneeling supplication b.s. of Vi’s.  The baby faced court clerk sneers at Amalia to fageddabowdit when she tries complaining to him!  Ohhhh, Elvira, clucks Amalia, you have a venomous heart!  (Whatever gave you that impression, Mollie?)  

Amid the screams of a frightened Isa, the embattled Amalia, baffled and befuddled, can only plop down on the floor next to Isa and watch in dismay as the trampy vamp finally gets her way. Viewerville wonders when Amalia will ever get a first clue let alone the last. 

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Friday, September 20, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #113 (Mex 151) Thursday 9/19/13 Que Malditas Tonterías

Santos' trial date has been moved up and it's just too damn bad that he doesn't have a lawyer or anything remotely resembling a defense.  I roll my eyes at the prosecutor bitching that he thinks Santos is a criminal.

At the LA popo, Curtis gives Derecho a shoulder rub as Maria walks in.  She thanks them for letting her see Santos and asks to see his record.  Maria's going to the "If he was a real criminal, he would've gone to the Bahamas, not lived in a craphole and worked as a mariachi," defense.  Maria thinks between that and her pluckiness, she can defend Santos.

Santos is determined to prove his innocence, since his lovely lady snuck into the country to be with him.

Maria swears to Derecho that she didn't know who Santos really was.  Derecho gets the call that Santos' trial is taking place in 2 days.  Derecho tells Maria that Santos is going to be prosecuted by a real hardass.  She begs to see Santos' record.
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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #112 (Mex 150) Wednesday 9/18/13 A Night of Filler Flashbacks


Dr. Kill-dare aka OJ aka El Padrino aka Giuliani – replay of him being pithed off to learn Maria's in El Lay.  He refuses to allow Santos to be happy with his love – absolutely not, capice?

Replay of Maria singing at the fence as lightning bolts streak across the sky and as we discussed yesterday, Santos inexplicably can hear her and responds.  The two lovebirds sing in harmony despite the distance between them.......yeah, ok  whatever.  “I love you!”  “I love you more!”

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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #111 (Mex 149) Tuesday 9/17/13 Hot Prison Love is the Best Love

Que Bonito Amor, QBA, 9-17-13, Cap 149—Hot Prison Love is the Best Love

Getting it on in the LA prison.

Hola everyone, I'm filling in tonight. RECAP IS DONE!!

(I always seem to recap the love scenes! LOL!)

BRIEF SUMMARY with screencaps.

We have a refrito with JAntos telling Maria to get lost, live her life, yadda yadda. She talks him out of that and says that no matter where they are, their love is "magic." They get busy with their conjugal visit, which I suspect has been edited by Univision (por supuesto).

"Hasta nunca" aka "Goodbye forever." But that doesn't last long!

Gratuitous Jorge Salinas shot. I make no apologies.

They seem so desolate. He won't relent. She reminds him of the good times and has brought her dad's sombrero. She accuses him of being Santos instead of Jorge Alfredo. That seems to break him down.

He gives in!
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Monday, September 16, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #110 (Mex 148) Monday 9/16/13 Save a Life and a Love


Federal Prison, Conjugal Visit Room: Maria arrives and flies into Santos' arms. He seems to come to his senses and is glad to see her. Muchos besos, por supuesto.

Hospital in D.F.: Doctor demands that Justo make a decision.

Mendoza Apt: How the hell did Aaron get in there? Paloma tells him to get lost. He refuses several times until Paloma tells him she'd rather transfer to another school than deal with him. He threatens to follow her to any new school.  El Jalisquito starts telling him off, followed by Isabel. Aaron is insulting to El Jalisquito, who doesn't take his crap and almost shoves him out the door. [We may find him annoying and presumptuous but he will be a good protector when he's grown up].

Oscar's Apt: Rodrigo is getting increasingly frustrated, overturning furniture until he finally calms down and picks up the phone.

Cafe in Tijuana: Oscar is falling asleep behind the counter as he and Rigoberto are still trapped by that scam. His cell phone rings and it's Roddy with his latest problem.
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Sunday, September 15, 2013

Qué Bonito Amor #109 (Mex 147) Friday 9/13/13 Face To Face Once More, But Cheek to Cheek?



Capítulo 147 

While bustiered Wanda’s intriguing Coloso and Don Rigo with her eighth and ninth wonders of the world, those two fall for the oldest bar scam in the books and get stuck with a 20 thousand peso bill for their two bottles of champagne.  Colosso ends up having to sing to cover the cost.

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Friday, September 13, 2013

Weekend Discussion: Most Annoying Characters

Many novelas have characters that just annoy us whether they were meant to or not. This could be because of poor acting, the character's bad timing, character stupidity, or just plain being out of place in the story. This character can be any age and of either sex.  These are characters we would never write into the story or wouldn't write the way they are appearing to us.

I'll start by nominating Almira of Qué Bonito Amor. Her inconsistent behavior in supporting and then slamming Maria's choices would be gaslighting behavior in a villana, but she never quite comes off as being intelligent enough to use this as a control tactic.  That made all of us want to slap her flat.
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