| Today: Hispanic sabor of the month |
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Written by Antonio Cerna
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The Today Show says Hispanic "sabor" is now part of mainstream pop-culture tastes. Who knew? Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy All week Today is spotlighting Hispanic American culture. The result is both interesting and terrifying. Because although it's exciting to see the faces of beautiful Latinos during one of the highest ranked network programs in the country, it's a pity that after all these years there is still little Hispanic representation in daytime TV. Yes. We commend the producers of Today for showcasing Latino talent in such a prominent way. We applaud their courage to hire Latinas like Natalie Morales and former anchor Soledad O'Brien. And yes, Emmy-winner America Ferrara, Tony-winners Lin-Manuel Miranda and Karen Olivo, along with Isabel Toledo deserve recognition. However, most of the pop culture examples cited in the above clip are outdated at best. Desi Arnaz (ie Ricky Ricardo) died over 20 years ago. And neither Gloria Estefan or Santana have had an English-language top-10 hit in years. In some cases the references are inaccurate. Would Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz consider themselves Hispanic? Probably not. Many Spaniards still distance themselves from the label "hispanic" -- no matter what the US census tells us. Further, is Perez Hilton really the man we want holding up the standard for Latinos in America? I didn't think so. Perhaps the producers should look for contemporary pop culture phenomena like Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato (see cover of People Magazine), or afro-Latina pioneers like Zoe Saldana (see Star Wars remake), or actors like Jorge Garcia (Lost), or reporters like Jorge Ramos -- even Chuy from E!'s Chelsea Lately is more relevant in pop-culture. So although watching 3-year-old footage of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira might make some cringe, it's ironically satisfying to hear Ann Curry trip through the phrase "muchas gracias" as she sips her cafe con leche. |
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