Pia Toscano (might have lost “American Idol,” but she may have won the game. After all, many non-winners have become top sellers. Rumors swirl that the ousted crowd favorite has already scored a recording contract. In other reality TV... Read the rest of this post
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By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 4/13/2011
Blog: Ypulse (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Disney, American Idol, facebook, youtube, myspace, Britney Spears, coachella, paula abdul, Lindsay Lohan, Ypulse Essentials, webby awards, vevo, Green Day, American Idiot, ashley tisdale, audition booth, pia toscano, sharpay's fabulous adventure, Add a tag
By: Ann Hagman Cardinal,
on 3/8/2009
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: American Idol, Paula Abdul, Charo, Simon Cowell, Jorge Nuñez, Add a tag
If you aren’t familiar with the history, during the marathonish Hollywood week the judges told Jorge he should work on getting rid of his accent. That was bad enough; I for one was relieved to hear a slight (very slight) accent in his singing voice after years of Ricky Martins and Robi Rosas who have no discernible accents while singing in English. But then the poor guy works with a dialect coach, does a beautiful job of singing Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” and Simon says he should sing with his accent because it makes him different. ¡Ay Dios mío! But the worst part was yet to come…
Charo is a comic footnote in the annals of American television. Forever known as the cuchi-cuchi woman from Laugh-In or The Love Boat, the curvy Spaniard was ghettoized before the term even existed. Most people don’t even realize she is one of the finest Flamenco guitar players in the world (she studied with Segovia). Yes, some of it was her own doing (marrying bandleader Xavier Cugat who was three times her age and her wild stage persona didn’t help her any), but it was the mockery of her accented English that molded the stereotypical celebrity she was to become. After this week it really hit home that we haven’t come very far from those debased 1970s variety shows. Especially when we are subjected to the other Puerto Rican contestant—the unbearably annoying, born-to-be-on-a-telenovela, Tatiana Del Toro—who in her wild card round/last ditch effort suddenly developed an accent since it seemed to work for Jorge.
By: John Mark Boling,
on 2/8/2008
Blog: The Winged Elephant (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: John Mark Boling,
on 1/17/2008
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By: John Mark Boling,
on 10/26/2007
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By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 4/13/2011
Blog: Ypulse (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Disney, American Idol, facebook, youtube, myspace, Britney Spears, coachella, paula abdul, Lindsay Lohan, Ypulse Essentials, webby awards, vevo, Green Day, American Idiot, ashley tisdale, audition booth, pia toscano, sharpay's fabulous adventure, Add a tag
By: Ann Hagman Cardinal,
on 3/8/2009
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: American Idol, Paula Abdul, Charo, Simon Cowell, Jorge Nuñez, Add a tag
First of all, let me just get the confession out of the way. Yes, I watch American Idol. I blame my friend Rachel for getting me hooked, but I’ve thought long and hard before writing this entry about what it is about the mostly insipid reality show that appeals to me (and how I can justify it to you and to myself). I came to realize that it makes total sense that I enjoy it. I mean, yes, it’s about the contestants’ singing talent, but more than that, it’s about their stories. As a writer I am a hoarder of stories, I will get into deep conversations with a stranger online at the supermarket and leave having gathered a bit of their tale, a glimpse of their life (maybe I’m closer to a story vampire). Well, American Idol is about watching and rooting for the people you get attached to and hissing at the ones that annoy the shit out of you. It’s about learning their stories, bit by bit every week, and feeling you know them. And this past week I have gotten very attached to the first Boricua to make it to the top twelve (or this year, thirteen), Jorge Nuñez. But along with my attachment I’m also very concerned about the beginnings of what I see as the show’s Charo-ization of him.
If you aren’t familiar with the history, during the marathonish Hollywood week the judges told Jorge he should work on getting rid of his accent. That was bad enough; I for one was relieved to hear a slight (very slight) accent in his singing voice after years of Ricky Martins and Robi Rosas who have no discernible accents while singing in English. But then the poor guy works with a dialect coach, does a beautiful job of singing Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” and Simon says he should sing with his accent because it makes him different. ¡Ay Dios mío! But the worst part was yet to come…
After Simon’s 180 degree turn, Paula Abdul tells Jorge to speak so they can hear his accent as if he were a performing poodle or something. Not that anyone would say that Paula Abdul is the brightest bulb in the batch, but it sure raised my hackles. As my jaw fell to my chest I was reminded of Charo. A stretch, I know, but hear me out.
Charo is a comic footnote in the annals of American television. Forever known as the cuchi-cuchi woman from Laugh-In or The Love Boat, the curvy Spaniard was ghettoized before the term even existed. Most people don’t even realize she is one of the finest Flamenco guitar players in the world (she studied with Segovia). Yes, some of it was her own doing (marrying bandleader Xavier Cugat who was three times her age and her wild stage persona didn’t help her any), but it was the mockery of her accented English that molded the stereotypical celebrity she was to become. After this week it really hit home that we haven’t come very far from those debased 1970s variety shows. Especially when we are subjected to the other Puerto Rican contestant—the unbearably annoying, born-to-be-on-a-telenovela, Tatiana Del Toro—who in her wild card round/last ditch effort suddenly developed an accent since it seemed to work for Jorge.
Over the past few weeks we’ve gotten a glimpse into Jorge’s story. We know he auditioned because his recently deceased great-grandfather wanted him to. We know he has put his study of law on hold to take this journey. And we know he is inordinately proud of his isla. In other words, many of us have already gotten attached to him. I for one would like to see Jorge Nuñez succeed in American Idol. Do I think he’s going to win? No, but I do think he has a stab at lasting a few weeks and building a career for himself. He is a lovely, open-hearted young man who I fear could be manipulated and molded by the music industry machine, an age-old and clichéd story, but one that happens every day to us Latinos. I know, I know, I’m getting melodramatic, but if you watched his eyes fill when he was voted into the top thirteen you undoubtedly feel as protective of him as I do.
So Jorge, take some advice from this Latina, story vampire who is older and hopefully wiser: sing proudly with your accent and dance however the music moves you. And do me a personal favor, the next time Paula asks you to speak so she can hear your accent, ask her to speak so we can all mock her ignorance. Oh wait, that already happens every week.
1 Comments on Hey American Idol! Don’t Charo-ize our Jorge Nuñez!, last added: 4/6/2009
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By: John Mark Boling,
on 2/8/2008
Blog: The Winged Elephant (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: maureen freely, enlightenment, maureen freely, enlightenment, Add a tag
Maureen Freely, author of the forthcoming novel Enlightenment, writes an article for The Guardian on Doris Lessing and the Nobel Prize.
Maureen, who has worked closely with Orhan Pamuk as his translator during the past five years, predicts that the Nobel will change Doris Lessing's life the way she has seen it change Orhan Pamuk's. Maureen translated both Pamuk's most recent collection, Other Colors, and his Nobel Prizewinning novel, Snow. She recounts the way international limelight has drawn criticism, death threats, and even assassination attempts on Pamuk by groups that don't appreciate his political stance on such issues as the Armenian genocide. Although Lessing's situation is different, Maureen makes the point that the Nobel is for life--it is an award that changes how you are seen forever.
Maureen, a very busy humanitarian activist herself, has just returned from Turkey, where she was during the most recent attempt on Pamuk's life in January. Maureen incorporates her very personal experiences with and knowledge of Turkish politics in Enlightenment, which approaches the topics of freedom of speech and political oppression in modern Turkey.
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By: John Mark Boling,
on 1/17/2008
Blog: The Winged Elephant (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Nancy Milford explores the vibrant literary life of Istanbul in a fascinating article in Travel & Leisure magazine this month. Included in her list of the city's must-read literature is Maureen Freely's forthcoming novel Enlightenment, which will be published by Overlook in May 2008. For more reading on contemporary Turkey, check out Andrew Mango's The Turks Today, and Turkey Unveiled by Hugh and Nicole Pope.
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By: John Mark Boling,
on 10/26/2007
Blog: The Winged Elephant (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Overlook is thrilled to unveil to American readers Maureen Freely's Enlightenment, which will be published in May 2008. Today a short excerpt appears on Critical Mass, the must-read blog of the National Book Critic's Circle.
Enlightenment is a story of first love and betrayal set against the tangled web of contemporary Turkey. Author Maureen Freely offers an arresting vision of Turkey, its people, and one American girl trapped in the fray. Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk called the novel a "dark Conradian drama set in a beautifully illustrated Istanbul, where the past is always with us."
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Sorry about Jorge... I'm watching them boot him off as I type. I liked him, I don't know....