When I first met Jenni Rivera’s eldest, Chiquis, she told me her dream was to be on the cover of Latina magazine. It was very special for me to write this one.
Click here to read the cover story.
Category Archives: Celebrity Interviews
Oscar Isaac on Playing a Refreshing, Non-Stereotypical Latino in ‘A Most Violent Year’
Let’s get one thing straight: Oscar Isaac is not a Latino actor. He is one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood who happens to be Latino — and this year will forever be known as the one in which he went from indie favorite to that guy you have no excuse to not know.
Isaac kicks off 2015 in style with “A Most Violent Year,” a drama from writer-director J.C. Chandor set in New York City during the nightmarish winter of 1981. Statistically, the title is no joke: there were 1,826 murders and 120,000 robberies that year (a record at the time).
His character, Abel Morales, is an immigrant who escapes his violent past in Colombia and achieves the ever-elusive American Dream through sheer hard work. But with his thriving heating-oil business under attack from competitors who behave like thugs, Abel is torn between staying true to his principles and resorting to violence in order to protect what’s his and eventually build an empire, all while the DA (David Oyelowo) is on his tail.
Best of 2014: Exclusive Interview With William Levy (VIDEO)
As I revisit the year, I think of all the great work we accomplished as a team at Variety Latino. Surpassing 1 million monthly uniques in four months was something I couldn’t have even imagined doing when we launched! One of my personal highlights was this on-camera interview with William Levy, who stopped by our studios to promote his film, “Addicted,” back in early October.
I had interviewed Levy before for the cover of Latina Magazine, so it was fun to catch up with him around the release of the movie, which ended up being a hit at the box office.
To date, this interview has been viewed more than 15,000 times on YouTube! Levy’s fans are dedicated.
Hollywood Reacts to New Era in U.S. – Cuba Relations (exclusive)
News broke on Wednesday, December 17, that the United States plans to restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba and will open an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than 50 years. The historic move came after the release of an American intelligence agent who had been in captivity in a Cuban prison for 20 years, and an American contractor, Alan P. Gross, who had been captive for five. In exchange, the U.S. released three Cuban spies who had been imprisoned in the U.S. since 2001.
Secret talks were held over the last 18 months between Barack Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro, encouraged by Canada and Pope Francis. Establishing direct contact between leaders of the two countries for the first time in half a century, Obama and Castro reportedly had a phone call on Tuesday to finalize the deal.
Calling the embargo on Cuba a failure, Obama addressed the nation in a televised speech Wednesday morning, stating: “We will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries.”
Gina Rodriguez is our Rising Star of the Year at Young Hollywood Awards (VIDEO)
Known as the “Oscars of Young Hollywood,” the Young Hollywood Awards on July 27 toasted the brightest trailblazing stars in music, TV, and film at The Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles.
It was a who’s who of young Hollywood – from Vanessa Hudgens to Ansel Elgort to Justin Bieber – but the one I was most excited about was Gina Rodriguez, our Variety Latino Rising Star of the Year honoree.
This fall, Gina makes history as the first Latina lead on the CW with her very own show, “Jane The Virgin,” a heartwarming new comedy about a 23-year-old girl with big dreams who gets pregnant after being artificially inseminated – accidentally!
We are so excited about the work Gina Rodriguez is doing in Hollywood and want to recognize that with this honor. She is smart, driven, uplifting, and empowering, and so are the characters she plays on the big and small screen, sending a clear message to Latina girls everywhere that they, too, are represented, and their stories are worth telling, too. Her being the first Latina lead on the CW with “Jane The Virgin” is groundbreaking, but it’s only the beginning. She is someone we’ll be talking about for years to come.
Congrats, Gina!
Don’t miss “Jane The Virgin” premiering October 13 on the CW.
Exclusive interview with mom-to-be Eva Mendes: ‘I’m the happiest I’ve ever been’ (VIDEO)
The last time I interviewed Eva Mendes was in early April, for Variety Latino. She was promoting her clothing line for New York & Company — which I’m obsessed with, by the way. So she gave Latinas tips on how to achieve the perfect balance between sexy and sophisticated, which is what she basically does every day without even trying.
But we also talked about her childhood, the values that her parents instilled in her, how her mother inspired and shaped her, how she defines success at this stage in her career, and what happiness means to her.
Exclusive First Listen: Miguel’s New Spanish Song ‘Destinado a Morir’
Really proud of this little video I produced for Variety Latino with one of my FAVORITES!!!
Miguel invited the VL crew into the LA studio where he’s recording his next album, due sometime this year, and talked to us about so many things, including what it was like to grow up Black and Latino, his kaleidoscopic view of music & art, and…how he lost his virginity!
Yep, great story.
He even sang a snippet of a new song in Spanish called “Destinado a Morir” — which no one’s heard before until now.
He loved this interview so much he shared it with his fans via FB & Twitter. And the best part is, we have so much great material from this interview, we’ll be posting more Miguel goodness in the near future!
I’ve been busier than I’ve ever been in my life — as in, I forgot what sleep is — but I’m also incredibly proud of the work we’re doing over at Variety Latino, which launched February 27, 2014.
Check out some of the other great CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS we’ve done with everyone from Lupita Nyong’o to John Leguizamo.
*Miguel’s interview was originally posted on VarietyLatino.com.
Remembering Jenni Rivera, the Music Icon and Mother
The world lost one of its brightest stars on December 9, 2012. But for all her success, Jenni Rivera was also unapologetically real, vulnerable and accessible. In this exclusive interview, Rivera’s eldest daughter Chiquis reflects on the loss and honors the legacy of banda music’s reigning queen.
Read my exclusive interview with Chiquis on the new MySpace.
Latin Grammy winner Sergio George on success, loyalty and the rebirth of Salsa
Once upon a time, salsa reigned supreme. Great singers from Cuba, Venezuela, Panama, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Dominican Republic introduced this vibrant genre to the world and we collectively moved to the clave, connecting with its universal message. As legendary BMI-affiliated salsa producer Sergio George puts it, “Not only was salsa the dance of dances, but it gave people hope, something to relate to, something to dream of, the possibility of romanticism during the toughest of times, a respite for the poor.” Somewhere along the way, though, the movement lost momentum and was overshadowed by other genres.
Becky G profile for Rolling Stone’s New Latin Hot List Issue
FOTO (Fresh Out The Oven)!
Yours truly wrote a profile on 16-year-old Becky G for Rolling Stone‘s new #LatinHotList issue, on stands November 8. I saw something special in her when I first met her two years ago in the RCA offices. She told me about her musical idols growing up (Left Eye, Selena), how her ‘Lita (grandma) taught her Spanish and always reminded her how important it is to honor her Mexican heritage, her plans to build a movement and take over the world, among other things. Somehow it didn’t come across as over-confident; I always believed she’d make it. Ask Dr. Luke what it is that he first noticed about her and he’ll say the same thing: her confidence and charisma. Because if you don’t believe in yourself, who will?
Then I collaborated with her on her blog, “Being Becky G,” for Fusion (ABC/Univision) late last year and that was super fun. It’s great to see how far she’s come in that short amount of time. She’s now CoverGirl’s youngest spokesperson and her #Beaster following on social media just keeps growing. In other words, she’s a marketer’s dream.
The RS cover line says it all and this is only the beginning…read the article here.
Angie Romero 