Thursday, April 29, 2010

HOLA turns 35! We have a challenge for you!


HOLA is celebrating its 35th anniversary!!

HOLA has found an angel who will match every donated dollar with another up to $10,000. We have until June 22, 2010. Please donate what you can afford. Help keep Latino artists at the forefront of our profession. Click on the above part of this notice to our donation page. Help us meet the challenge. All donations are tax-deductible.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

For our 35th year, please mark your gifts "HOLA@35."

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

mun2 Presents...John Leguizamo & Franc. Reyes Interview with Jackie Hernández

John Leguizamo and Franc. Reyes talk about Latinos in the media at the New Generation Latino Consortium. They are interviewed by Jackie Hernández.

HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members who are getting acting gigs.

Mônica Steuer and Koko De Jesús starred in Rodolfo Santana’s La empresa perdona un momento de locura. Directed by Josean Ortiz, the play was produced at took place at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre in the theater district of midtown Manhattan.


A bohemian night where poetry and music unite all the countries of Latin America is what is promised by El poeta y el compositor. Billed as a “Latin American poetic and musical voyage,” the production was conceived and directed César Alejandro and features the works of Latin American poets and composers such as Julia de Burgos, Rubén Blades, Bobby Capó, Rubén Darío, León Felipe, José Martí, Pablo Neruda, Alfonsina Storni and others. Presented at Teatro LA TEA in the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center (home to HOLA) in Manhattan’s Loisaida neighborhood, the evening includes Alejandro, Mateo Gómez, Nelson Landrieu and Jenmary Day in the cast.


"We Are New York" is a local half-hour TV show. The show is intended to help people learn English that will be useful to them. The winner of two local Emmys, the program featured Moisés Acevedo, Jennica Carmona, Ángel G. Clemente, Jorge Pupo and Antonia Rey in its cast. The show was created by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Adult Education and the City University of New York, Office of Academic Affairs. To see the episodes on the internet, click here.


Due to popular demand, Pregones Theater brought back its popular production Aloha Boricua. Conceived and directed by Jorge B. Merced based on the writings of Manuel Ramos Otero, with music composed in collaboration with Desmar Guevara, Rosalba Rolón and Javier Rodríguez Rullán, the story of the migration of Puerto Ricans to Hawai’i took place at Pregones’ namesake theater in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx and featured Sol Marina Crespo, Indio Meléndez and Omar Pérez in the cast.


Rob Santana wrote and directed his play Cheer Up, Jackie as part of the Short PlayLab Festival at the Where Eagles Dare Festival in the theater district of midtown Manhattan. The play, which deals with the events of November 22, 1963 on Jackie Kennedy, featured Yvette Quintero in the cast.


Patricia Carreón performed a monologue as part of the event Si tú no te amas, ¿quién te amará?, sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Queens. The evening, which also featured musical acts, took place at the Natives Theater in the Jackson Heights section of Queens.


If you are an HOLA member and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail at holagram@hellohola.org. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join?

Monday, April 19, 2010

HOLA Legends: Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth (née Margarita Carmen Cansino; born October 18, 1918 in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A., died May 14, 1987 in New York, New York, U.S.A.) was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars. She appeared in 61 films over 37 years and is listed as one of the American Film Institute's Greatest Stars of All Time.

Her father was Spanish dancer and teacher Eduardo Cansino and her mother Volga Haworth was a Ziegfeld girl of Irish-English parentage. Her paternal grandfather, Antonio Cansino, was the most renowned exponent in his day of Spain's classical dances; he made the bolero famous. His dancing school in Madrid was world famous.

As a young girl, she attended dance classes every day for a few years in a Carnegie Hall complex under the instruction of her uncle Angel Cansino. When she was eight years old, her father moved his family west to Hollywood, where he established his own dance studio. Famous Hollywood luminaries, including James Cagney and Jean Harlow, received specialized training from Cansino himself. Her rise to fame was a silver lining of the Great Depression. The family's investments were wiped out instantly. Musicals were no longer in vogue. Interest in her father's work collapsed as dancing classes were no longer prioritized during difficult economic times. But, when his nephew's dancing partner in a theater play broke a leg, her mother suggested her daughter could replace him: "Margarita can do it!"

Her mother's idea led to her father having an epiphany. He saw his daughter could be his partner in a dancing team called "The Dancing Cansinos." Since Hayworth was not of legal age to work in nightclubs and bars according to California state law, she and her father traveled across the border to the city of Tijuana, Baja California Norte, Mexico, a popular tourist spot for Los Angeles citizens in the early 1930s. She performed in such spots as the Foreign Club and the Caliente Club.

It was at the Caliente Club where she was first discovered by the head of the Fox Film Corporation, Winfield Sheehan. A week later, she was brought to Hollywood to make a screen test for Fox. Impressed by her screen persona, Sheehan signed her (who was now being referred to as Rita Cansino) to a short-term six-month contract.

During her time at Fox, she appeared in five pictures, in which her roles were neither important nor memorable. By the end of her six-month contract, Fox had now merged into 20th Century Fox, with Darryl F. Zanuck serving as the executive producer. Taking little concern for Sheehan's interest in her, Zanuck decided not to renew her contract.

By this time, she was eighteen years old and she married businessman Edward C. Judson, who was twice her age. Feeling that she still had screen potential, despite just being dropped by Fox, Judson managed to get her the lead roles in several independent films and finally managed to arrange a screen test for her with Columbia Pictures. Studio head Harry Cohn soon signed her to a long-term contract, slowly casting her in small roles in Columbia features.

Cohn argued that her image was too much of a Mediterranean style, which caused her to be cast into stereotypical Hispanic roles. She began to undergo a painful electrolysis to broaden her forehead and accentuate her widow's peak. When she returned to Columbia, she had transformed into a redhead and changed her name to Rita Hayworth (Hayworth from her mother's maiden name).

In 1937, she appeared in five minor Columbia pictures and three minor independent movies. In 1938, Hayworth appeared in five more Columbia B films. In 1939, Cohn pressured director Howard Hawks to use her for a small but important role as a man-trap in the aviation drama Only Angels Have Wings, in which she played opposite Cary Grant and Jean Arthur. A large box-office success, fan mail for Hayworth began pouring into Columbia's publicity department and Cohn began to see her as his first and official new star (the studio had never officially had large stars under contract, except for Jean Arthur, who was trying to break out of her Columbia contract). Cohn began to build her up the following year, in features such as Music in My Heart, The Lady in Question and Angels Over Broadway. He even loaned Hayworth out to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to appear in Susan and God, opposite Joan Crawford.

On loan to Warner Brothers, she appeared as the second female lead in The Strawberry Blonde (1941), opposite James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland. A large box-office success, her popularity rose and she immediately became one of Hollywood's hottest properties. So impressed was Warner Brothers that they tried to buy her contract from Columbia, but Harry Cohn refused to release her.

Her success in that film led to an even more important supporting role in Blood and Sand (1941), where she played the first of many screen sirens as the temptress Doña Sol des Muire. She acted in two films opposite Fred Astaire in the musicals You'll Never Get Rich (1941), and You Were Never Lovelier. It was during this period that Hayworth posed for a famous pin-up in Life Magazine, which showed her in a negligée perched seductively on her bed. When the U.S. joined World War II in December 1941, Hayworth's image was admired by millions of servicemen, making her one of the top two pin-up girls of the war years, the other being Betty Grable. In 2002, the satin nightgown she wore for the picture sold for $26,888. She was then called the "Love Goddess."

For three consecutive years, starting in 1944, she was named one of the top movie box office attractions in the world. In 1944, she made one of her best-known films, the Technicolor musical Cover Girl (1944), with Gene Kelly. The film established her as Columbia's top star of the 1940s. She was adept in ballet, tap, ballroom, and Spanish routines. Cohn continued to effectively showcase Hayworth's talents in several Technicolor films.

Her erotic appeal was most notable in the classic film noir Gilda (1946), with Glenn Ford, which encountered some difficulty with censors. This role–in which Hayworth in black satin performed a legendary one-glove striptease–made her into a cultural icon as the ultimate femme fatale. It is also noteworthy to report that she was also the first dancer to partner with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly on film.

She delivered one of her most acclaimed performances in then-husband Orson Welles's The Lady From Shanghai (1947). Its failure at the box office was attributed in part to director/co-star Welles having had Hayworth's famous red locks cut off and the remainder of her hair dyed blonde for her role. This was done without Cohn's knowledge or approval and he was furious over the change.

She was married five times and divorced five times. She had two daughters, Rebecca Welles and Yasmin Aly Khan. She was married to businessman Edward Charles Judson, actor/director Orson Welles, Ismali Prince Aly Khan, actor Dick Haymes, and film producer James Hill. She once said, "Basically, I am a good, gentle person, but I am attracted to mean personalities." Another famous quote from her is "I naturally am very shy... and I suffer from an inferiority complex. [M]en fell in love with Gilda, but they wake up with me." With typical modesty she later remarked that the only films she could watch without laughing were the dance musicals she made with Fred Astaire. "I guess the only jewels of my life," Hayworth said, "were the pictures I made with Fred Astaire."

In later years, she had difficulty in learning lines. That, along with a dependence on alcohol, led to many years before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. She lapsed into a semicoma in February 1987. She died a few months later on May 14, 1987 in her Manhattan apartment. She was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California, U.S.A. Her headstone includes the inscription: "To yesterday's companionship and tomorrow's reunion."

Today, one of the major fund raisers for the Alzheimer's Association is the annual Rita Hayworth Gala, held in New York City and Chicago. Hayworth's daughter, Yasmin Aga Khan, has been the hostess for these events and a major sponsor of Alzheimer's Disease charities and awareness programs. Since 1985 they have raised more than U.S.$42 million for the Association.



Rita Hayworth performing "Put the Blame from Mame" and "Amado Mío" from the classic film Gilda.



Thursday, April 15, 2010

HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members who are getting acting gigs.

Lina
Sarrello's play Waiting For The D was selected to be presented at the 2010 Downtown Urban Theater Festival. With performances scheduled at the Theater for the New City in Manhattan's East Village, the play will be directed by Sarrello and Jorge Castilla and features Jesús E. Martínez, Andrés Chulisi Rodríguez, María Rivera and Sarrello in the cast.

Also in the 2010 Downtown Urban Theater Festival is Confessions of a Homo Thug Porn Star, a solo show written and directed by James Earl Hardy and starring Johnathan Cedano.

Hostos Repertory Company is presenting Siempre se olvida algo (You Always Forget Something). The play written by Virgilo Piñera (and translated by Kate Eaton) and directed by Ángel Morales, the play is scheduled for April performances in Hostos Repertory Theater in the Mott Haven section of the south Bronx. The cast includes Marisol Carrere, Melissa Díaz, Luz-María Lambert, Luciano Patiño and Bárbara Santiago.

Luis Carlos de La Lomban
a can be seen in the Yllana's 666 at the Minetta Lane Theater in Manhattan's West Village.

Chester Poon and Carissa Jocétt Toro headline the Teatro LA TEA/Soñadores production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Winner of four 2009 HOLA Awards, the show was revived for two performances as part of NYC Immigrant Heritage Week. Presented at the Milagro Theater in the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center (home to HOLA), the play was directed by José A. Esquea and featured fight direction by Jesús E. Martínez and featured Mahammatt Baba, Howard Collado, Loren Escandón, Mateo Gómez, A.B. Lugo and Ura Yoana Sánchez in the cast.

Caridad De La Luz is a force of nature. Sometimes known as La Bruja, she is an actor-poet-playwright-singer-comedian-hip hop artist-performer-activist. She has most recently appeared in El Museo Del Barrio, Columbia University, the Nuyorican Poets' Café, among other places. To find out where she is performing next, check out this site. To find out general information about her, click here.

If you are an HOLA member and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail at holagram@hellohola.org. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join?

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

HOLAfábrica Workshops and Seminars presents ACCENT REDUCTION SEMINAR


HOLAfábrica Workshops and Seminars

presents

ACCENT REDUCTION SEMINAR
with Glenn Zuraw

Wednesday, April 28, 2010
6:30-9PM

$25 HOLA members / $35 non-members

REGISTRATION UPON PAYMENT
AMEX, MASTERCARD AND VISA ACCEPTED

LOS KABAYITOS PUPPET AND CHILDREN’S THEATER
@ CSV Cultural and Educational Center
107 Suffolk Street, 2nd Floor, NYC
(F to Delancey / J M Z to Essex)


Hey HOLA Actors!

Wanna attend a really cool and fun workshop that is geared to helping you sound more “American?” Ya know, the way Americans “sing” when they speak has a reason and you’ll learn the “Why.” If English is your SECOND LANGUAGE or even if you grew up here, in NYC, by attending the workshop, you’ll get some insight on how to sound more “Standard American” and less, well, whatever you sound like now! Sure, that Latin American accent sounds so sexy to us “Americans” and why not learn how to soften it for a role that requires less of it!

Do you know how many different ways you can say: “He likes the color purple” – there are at least six (6) different ways to say that simple phrase and each one is TOTALLY DIFFERENT. Come to the workshop and find out how!

We at HOLA look forward to seeing you on the 28th! Wine and cheese will be served (so that you are more relaxed…).

Glenn Zuraw
Certified ESL Teacher
Accent Reduction Coach

Photo of Glenn Zuraw by Tom Zubank.

HOLAfábrica Workshops and Seminars presents COMPUTERS AND THE ACTOR

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE COMPUTER ILLITERATE?

HOLAfábrica Workshops and Seminars
presents

Computers and the Actor
or, how to survive an e-mail picture and
resume submission mailer-dæmon

with HOLA member Francisco Fuertes

ffuertes

HOLA Award recipient Francisco Fuertes is the Director of Computer Operations of a large national apparel company, an actor/singer and the Spanish voice of the New York State Lottery.

Learn the best way to manage your career from your computer using e-mails, cover letters, pictures and resumes and most importantly, how not to send an e-mail announcement. Also covered: MP3 File audition recording.


If you have a laptop, bring one in.

Thursday, April 22, 2010
6:30-8:30pm

LOS KABAYITOS CHILDREN’S THEATER
@ CSV Cultural and Educational Center
107 Suffolk Street, 2nd Floor, NYC
(F to Delancey / J M Z to Essex)

$25

REGISTRATION UPON PAYMENT
AMEX, MASTERCARD AND VISA ACCEPTED