Frivolous Friday post: How I love thee, Kate Spade

TGIF and Happy Friday everybody.

Can you believe it’s almost Easter? Ya falta bien poquito.

I remember when I was a kid, we used to get new dresses for Easter Sunday and we used to love it. I thought about recreating that for this year, pues traigo ganas de estrenar vestido.

So the first place I thought of  for a dress was my favorite designer, la Kate Spade. It is pretty incredible that everything she has in store is everything I would want in my closet. But you need to win the mega jackpot for that to happen.

Pero pues como soñar no cuesta nada, I was browsing through the Kate Spade website and found lovely things (although carísimas!) and came across a great ebook  made for her blog called “things we love,” and I fell in love with it.

You can see a link to the book here.

One of the pages of the "Things we Love" book on the blog from Katespade.com

I really like this brand, have always loved her clean designs and girly-cutesy-preppy-fresa style, but lately their branding and marketing has been so original and fresh that I take my hat off to the team behind it. It’s pure feminine inspiration. They make a jeans and t-shirt girl want to dress up, so that is a miracle.

A  few months ago I took this picture at one of their stores and I thought, my God, does Kate know me or what?

I think Kate me conoce bien, me describió a la perfección, especialmente the part about losing the umbrella and calling my grandmother. This big board decorated the cashier at Kate Spade's store.

Of course, I had this beautiful Kate Spade iPhone case last year, which was my absolute favorite thing ever, but I broke it TWICE and have not been able to use it since. They don’t make it anymore, she has new designs, but I managed to get the iPad Case on sale, so I guess I can’t complain.

You can imagine tears were shed over this one: my broken newspaper print case is now unusable. The classified NY messages circled with red lipstick are Brooklyn Book Club and Piano Lessons in NYC.

Here comes Valentine’s Day. Cupido acuérdate de mi…

Today I realized Valentine’s Day is next Tuesday.

Y luego, all of a sudden, without any explanation, como que se me antojo mandar Valentine’s Day cards, like the ones you used to get in 3rd grade. Remember how you used to fill out one for everyone in your class? Me entro un poquito de nostalgia. Yo siempre escogía las de Snoopy.

Será que I’ve been running into all these little knick knacks all over the place. Made me want to buy corazoncitos de chocolates y artsy Valentine’s Day cards. Maybe if my new online dating sites prove any luck, the story will change by next Tuesday. (I am thisclose to rejoining eharmony and give them another chance, although you all remember my past experiences when they kept “matching me” with Lupillos and all the paisanos from Pico Rivera…NOT that there’s anything wrong with that, but that’s a little ways out of my area code.)

On another note, for the last 2 years I’ve made a couple of recommendations on Love Songs based on my current state of mind, which probably (sin querer queriendo) says a lot about me and my relationship statuses.

The first year it was KEB-MO and “You Can Love Yourself” which I still love to hear all the time and says that “if nobody loves you and you’re feeling like dust on an empty shelf …just remember you can love yourself!” In 2011 it was C-Lo,  topping the charts with his “F-U” song, or “Forget You”  for radio friendly audiences, and I thought it was THE Valentine’s Day pick for the rest of us, los del club de corazones solitarios. You know who you are!

This year, however, I have not picked a song yet, maybe because I haven’t had a moment to think about it or because Lana del Rey has been all over the place with her weird and addictive songs and Valley of the Dolls like personna…more on that on a later post.

Oh well. I still have a few days to pick and choose, but in the meantime I ran into this cutesy-tootsie art card at the LAPL Gift Shop and I think it will do:

Pick your poison people: El Cancionero del Amor, according to a Valentine's day card which I found at the LAPL Gift Shop in downtown.

Y bueno, si alguien me quiere mandar chocolates, me encantan los de See’s Candies. Absolutely, positively, undoubtedly, no question about it, my all time favorites. Hint Hint:

See's Candies please!

Found! A Spanish newsstand in LA.

I was driving along the heart of Boyle Heights today when -lo and behold- que se me aparece este letrero.

ALL kinds of Spanish magazines? Surely you must be joking.

This magazine stand has been around for years on 1st and Soto, but this new sign- no, this STATEMENT- was beckoning for an investigation. So naturally I had to turn the corner and park the car.

Zoom out from across the street, on the corner of 1st and Soto in Boyle Heights (LA).

After approaching the newsstand, I did see a few periódicos from my fronterizo home state in México (BC).  They had a few critical-left wing political publications, like Proceso magazine, and the more central (but boring) Contenido. So that aspect is covered. There’s the frívolos-upscale-primer mundo en México examples, like Caras and Hola (México), but no Quien magazine, which was  surprise. Then there’s the comic strips en español de todos colores y temas. They still make them, but I wonder who reads them?

And of course there’s the typical churro reading entertainment junk, like TV Notas y TV y Novelas, not to be confused (although sí se pueden hacer mix up) with the pornographic stuff. It’s very hard to tell from these covers, since everyone is practically naked, and it’s mostly women. (Que novedad…)

Oy vey! Can you believe Playboy next to Brides en Español, next to libritos de historia next to knitting and hobby books, next to libros Cristianos.

Culture for the masses. Looks like something for everybody.

El Vanidades nunca falla, está en todos los puestos de revistas, al lado de las TV Notas con mujeres en poses sugestivas en la portada.

Material de lectura para el fresa-pseudo intelectual: Proceso 35 años de imágenes, Revista Caras y OK Mag en Español. Además un anuncio para tomar clases de "Naturismo" en LA.

So when they say “ALL KINDS” of Spanish magazines, they really mean it.

There was no Vanity Fair en español in site, however. You may remember I raved about it last week. This was a little disappointing.  But I’m quite pleased with the fact that this puesto de revistas exists and that it provides lecturas en español, a little something for everybody who craves reading material that you may not find at Barnes and Noble. Who am I to judge if you feel like reading Condorito? More power to you, amiguito.

The “All Kinds of Spanish Magazines” newsstand is open from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday and 8 to 4 on the weekends, at 1st and Soto in Boyle Heights. There’s a Metro station next to it, fyi.

Pedro Almodóvar Forever! A night @Taschen Beverly Hills

This week, gracias a mis amigas Lucia y Martha, fuimos al book signing de Pedro Almodóvar’s book “The Almodóvar Archives” at the beautiful Taschen Book Store in Beverly Hills.

A few lucky fans got a chance to meet and greet the film maestro, and he is a lovely, funny and charming man. Se me hace que es una persona que se ha de divertir mucho con sus ideas y su creatividad. Imagine what his mind looks like! All those colors popping all over the place, all those stories and visuals of the movies he creates.

As an added treat, también estuvo Antonio Banderas, one of his first actor discoveries all the way back in the late 1980′s, and apparently still a beloved friend after all these years. They had a brief Q&A session which was initially done in English, but as Mr. Almodovar got more animated, he asked for a translator, para poderse expresar agusto. Banderas is currently starring in the latest film, the dramatic thriller “La Piel que Habito” (The Skin I Live In) which is getting rave reviews.

Here’s a few pictures from the event. Truly a memorable evening I shall never forget.

Even after all these years, they still love each other. Pedro Almodóvar and Antonio Banderas had an animated and funny Q&A session for the fans who attended the book signing.

The man, the film genius! Almodóvar was happy to sign copies of his book for his fans.

Two of his biggest fans, Martha Coronel and Lucia Peraza pose with their friend, Pedro Almodóvar.

Here it is, a book signed for a Very Important Person!

Lucia admires the book as they specially package it. The book weighs all of 12 pounds and has all sorts of pictures and memorabilia from all of Almodóvar's films.

The actor Carlos Leal starred in the Almodóvar movie "Abrazos Rotos" with Penelope Cruz. ¡Es muy guapo! Además saludó a Almodóvar muy efusivamente y compró su libro.

This is the carrying box of the book. Only 1,250 copies were made of this special edition.

Charlotte Taschen, one of the Taschen family daughters, flew in from London to present the book.

Todos queriamos "say hello." The Taschen bookstore in Beverly Hills, California. Almodóvar fans crowd the store for a chance to meet him.

At Taschen they have the most beautiful and original books on art, lifestyle, travel, and photography.

My kind of place.

Arte en el techo. One of the many fabulous art collages hanging from the ceiling.

Vanity Fair España, lo máximo

If you’re looking for a smart pop culture magazine for these times, may I recommend Vanity Fair en Español, published en España by Conde Nast and sold here in the US at Barnes and Noble.

Ever since I found out it existed en español, I’ve been kind of obsessed with it. And I came late to the game, because it has been published since 2008 but just started reading it recently.  I’ve read the English version since 1989 (era una bebita leyéndola, hehe) but now I’ve transferred my affections to the Spanish version. No offense, Mr. Graydon Carter.

Yes, it may be trivial, a little fanciful, and out of my reality, but it is so addictive to read about interesting people in the arts, entertainment and cultural/political realms. Some of the articles are translated from the English sister mag, but mostly they do their own features and photoshoots.

Recent covers have had the Carolina Herreras (mother and daughter), Antonio and Melanie, la Reina Noor, y la Duquesa Cayetana de Alba que se acaba de volver a casar a los 85 años, so there’s definitely an aire de chisme to it as well. However, this is not your typical chisme from the  revistas en español that you find all over the place, like the overly public relations infused People en Español and the naquisima for the nac0-masses TV Notas. Nooooo, este es el chisme for the rest of us. (Yes, I’m a snob!)

You can find Vanity Fair at some of the Barnes and Nobles around town (it will set you back $10 bucks so you just may want to read it at the store) or in my case I’ve been lucky because my sisters and Mom buy it for me across the border where it costs 65 pesos.

Or you may want to browse their fabulous online version at http://www.revistavanityfair.es/ and read it for free. But you should try to support good magazines if you can and buy one every so often.

Here’s a great article on Mario Vargas Llosa, one of the most fabulous and gifted writers there is, and a recent Nobel laureate. He was voted as the “Personaje del Año” by Vanity Fair just this month:

“Mario Vargas Llosa, el hombre que nunca se rinde”  (Click for the link.)

¡Felices Lecturas!

Four recent Vanity Fair en Español covers from 2011.

¡Esa mi Cayetana! La Duquesa de Alba on the cover, when she confirmed she was getting married again at the age of 85. Why not?

The editorial work is lovely and the photos are cool. Here's a recent photo with Ewan McGregor.

Ahi va mi colección de este año. Las cuido como oro molido!

Que buena foto!! Foto de Mario Vargas Llosa tomada del artículo online de www.revistavanityfair.es

Must See Documentary on OWN: “Miss Representation” and the ways women are portrayed by the media

Thank God somebody finally made a documentary about the  sexist, manipulative, and derogatory ways women are featured in the Media in this day and age.

On Thursday night, OWN TV (Oprah’s Network) will premiere the film “Miss Representation” at 8 pm. It was directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. I took one look at the trailer and I’m hooked and telling everyone I know to see it.

Tengo años quejándome  de cómo mujeres como la Kim Kardashian and her clan, or any of the “real housewives”, or any number of latinas on Hispanic Television who love to show cleavage as they read the news, are portrayed or portray themselves as mere objects of desire. They’re abusing their physical appearance to get ahead. “It’s all about the body, not about the brains,” like one of the testimonials says in the film. Look at all the “encueratrices” on b-list magazine covers that adorn the newsstand. Look at how the magazines antagonize women against each other. Frankly I’m tired of it and that’s why I’m so excited to see this.

Take a look at the trailer and I think you’ll be hooked as well.

I went so far as to take a pledge on their website to tell everyone I know about this.

So here’s my part: Mujeres, VEAMOS ESTE DOCUMENTAL. Apoyemos esta causa, let’s support each other and the younger girls coming to age so they won’t be affected by this messed up view of women and female roles.

I went online at www.missrepresentation.org to sign up. Here’s the response I got from the team behind this film:

Thanks for joining our movement to end sexism!

Now that you’ve taken the MissRepresentation.org pledge, here are some actions you can take immediately to make a difference:

1. Tell 5 people about the film and share one thing you learned from watching it.

 2. Parents- watch TV and films with your children.  Raise questions like “What if that character had been a girl instead?”

 3. Remember your actions influence others. Mothers, aunts and loved ones- don’t downgrade or judge yourself by your looks. Fathers, uncles and loved ones—treat women around you with respect.  Remember children in your life are watching and learning from you.

 4. Use your consumer power. Stop buying tabloid magazines and watching shows that degrade women. Go see movies that are written and directed by women (especially on opening weekend to boost the box office ratings). Avoid products that resort to sexism in their advertising.

5. Mentor others! It’s as easy as taking a young woman to lunch. Start by having open and honest conversations with a young person in your life.

You are now dialed into a national movement to stand up to sexism and challenge the media’s limiting portrayals of gender. Together we will make a huge impact on contemporary society.

 So COUNT ME IN! Ya era hora. About time we all did something about this. Arriba las mujeres!

Bye Summer! Getting ready for Missoni for Target on September 13th.

So it’s already September 1st and Summer 2011 is practically gone after this long holiday weekend. (Unless of course you live in Mexicali, B.C. My peeps from Mexicali would love to hear that summer is over, pero aguanten un poquito más cachanillas, ya falta menos para que pase el calorón termonuclear del verano mexicalense.)

I’m actually looking forward to fall for one reason. Call me frivolous, but I can’t wait for September 13th, when Target (Tar-jay, Targé or “La Target”) launches their exclusive Missoni for Target line.  And of course I’m not the only one. Twitter and facebook are abuzz with people commenting on the beautiful stuff they have coming out. You better believe I’m going to be in line during the wee small hours of the morning, waiting for the store to open, armed with my coffee mug.

Here’s a few of the items on my wish list.You can check out their complete line at www.target.com

This bike is going to be a best seller, van a ver.

Have your laptop travel in style.

New flats are in my future.

Fancy an Italian latte? Love this set.

Too much Missoni? I don't think so.

For your home office, stationary with the iconic stripes.

Sympton Recital by Dorothy Parker

I do not like my state of mind;
I’m bitter, querulous, unkind.
I hate my legs, I hate my hands,
I do not yearn for lovelier lands.
I dread the dawn’s recurrent light;
I hate to go to bed at night.
I snoot at simple, earnest folk.
I cannot take the gentlest joke.
I find no peace in paint or type.
My world is but a lot of tripe.
I’m disillusioned, empty-breasted.
For what I think, I’d be arrested.
I am not sick, I am not well.
My quondam dreams are shot to hell.
My soul is crushed, my spirit sore;
I do not like me any more.
I cavil, quarrel, grumble, grouse.
I ponder on the narrow house.
I shudder at the thought of men….
I’m due to fall in love again.

-Dorothy Parker

(Photo taken @Dwell on Design, Summer 2011. LA Convention Center.)

El amor platónico de Tessa y Oleg

Cómo les quedó el ojo con el capítulo de anoche con la mexicana y el ruso, eh?

Todos sabemos que “they’re made for each other,” pero también que hay amores que no pueden ser. Maybe in another lifetime.

Cuando Oleg le dice a su Tessa que “she’s the one“…pero que la prefiere de socia y amiga, se me hizo chiquito el corazón. Ay Oleg!!

Son lo máximo estos últimos capítulos de La Reina del Sur. ¡Animo mexicana!!! Tú puedes…Duro con ellos!

El gran final de La Reina del Sur es el lunes 30 de mayo por Telemundo.

Cuando Oleg le dice a su Tessa "Yo hubiera podido enamorarme locamente de ti, habría sido fácil...eres inteligente, hermosa, valiente...pero a cambio hubiera perdido a una gran socia y amiga..." creo que todas sufrimos.

Love it. Go See It: Bill Cunningham New York.

The marquee at the Nuart, LA. Go see this documentary asap. It's only playing this week.

From the NY Times: On the Street column, video, photos from Bill Cunningham. This alone is worth the new subscription rates!

I love documentaries. One of the best I’ve seen recently is “Bill Cunningham, New York,” which peeks into the life of the original fashion street photographer from his earlier days until now. It is simply a cool, funny, passionate little movie about an 80 something year old man who lives for his art, for his city, for his work.

Here’s the trailer from Vimeo:

It’s only playing for a week in LA at the Nuart (405 and Santa Monica Blvd) on the westside. Hope you get a chance to see it.

(Thanks to Olivia who alerted me about it and made me go last Saturday. She got me out of the house early, which is a triumph! Gracias friend. )

Olivia and the movie poster.

Setting my DVR to “La Reina del Sur”

Count me in for watching La Reina del Sur on Telemundo.

The novela, inspired by the best selling book La Reina del Sur, by Arturo Perez Reverte, premieres Monday 2/28 on Telemundo and it’s already looking good.

It’s the story of Teresa Mendoza, a Mexican woman who dominated the world of drug trafficking and narcos in Spain and Europe. She’s not exactly what you call a “role model,” but she’s definitely more entertaining and interesting than the average Cinderellas you see every night on Univision.

Kate del Castillo is Teresa Mendoza, and almost everybody who’s seen the first episode (El Club de Noveleras de Telemundo, for example) and who knows her work back from when she started in Televisa can say THIS is her best role yet. She is a natural fit to play the tough woman Teresa is. She’s not afraid to do violent scenes, or look vulnerable and go sans makeup like she did for most of the first episode. Cero maquillaje, cero glamour. She also is NOT shy in showing her body, and believe me, she shows it. Es toda “muscle”, que bárbara! Even on the tight shots, y la cámara no perdona nada. Esta mujer es puro ejercicio y salud.  We are putting her picture up in the office and using her as inspiration to go work out.

As for the other cast, us girls can’t complain. There’s Rafael Amaya, the hunk from Alguien Te Mira, Gabriel Porras, who’s pretty much irreconocible y feo, Humberto Zurita, one of the great Mexican actors, and a bunch of fresh handsome faces we’ll get to see throughout.

But it’s the story that makes LRDS addictive and even sometimes hard to watch. This is no fairy tale. It deals with narcos, violence, crime, betrayal, death, and somehow they’ll blend in the love story. This is not your typical novela, none of the Telemundo ones are. La Reina del Sur feels more like a tv series with situations that you know are happening in real life, with dark and evil characters and the “reality” of the drug world. It’s shot mostly on location in Mexico, Colombia, España y Marruecos, so it looks different than anything that’s shot on the set. Hey, natural lighting, what a concept!

So time will tell if LRDS is a hit, but we think so. Let’s see what the ratings say for Telemundo, but so far, we give it thumbs up…(usando el sistema del Roger Ebert) and it earns a spot on our DVR.

Here’s a promo clip from La Reina del Sur, Monday through Friday 10PM on Telemundo.

Los Latinos aman a Los Lakers

Finally! Hasta que por fin están reconociendo que los latino fans de “Los Lakers” are loyal, dedicated and travel in big packs.

Here’s an article by the LA Times analyzing the popularity of the team and announcing a new regional channel en español dedicated to sports fans. I guess the NBA figured out that, hello, we follow other sports besides futbol. And los Latinos are the ones who will most likely keep the love going in the future. Hay muchos latinos que son”die hard” fans and they are already sharing the passion with their kids.

Just please don’t call them Los Laguneros, ok.

Read the article here. “Lakers is a magic word in any language” LAT, Feb. 15, 2011.

You better believe it. Los Lakers rule!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, unos regalitos bien “cute”.

Here’s a link form the LA Times in case you haven’t even thought of a Valentine’s Day gift for your sweetie. Hey, you better get cracking! V-day falls on Monday and there’s not much time left.

On the other hand, why don’t you say what you really mean this year with a thoughtful card? Make it a bold statement con la puritita verdad. I’m already loving this heart shaped tarjetita, courtesy of reformschoolrules.com. What do you think?

More than a feeling...This card already sold out on reformschoolrules.com.

Ok, here’s a much nicer one:

Awww. (Card by dudeandchick.com)

Bésame…bésame mucho.

Take a walk around any part of el DF and you’ll notice something interesting: people in Mexico City are not shy in practicing public displays of affection.

It’s weird to post these pictures because they are kind of voyeuristic, and yet this says a lot about Mexicans in the capital, their passions and intense relationships. Besos, abrazos, semi make out sessions and other forms of PDA’s are evident all over town, and would make anybody back in the US blush a little, yet here they are casual and normal. I saw a couple kiss each other goodbye at the metro station and almost wanted to tell them “Oh get a room!” or the otherwise appropriate “No coman pan en frente de los pobres”.

Amor de la calle.

"quiero tenerte muy cerca, mirarme en tus ojos, verte junto a mi..." escribió Consuelito Velazquez.

Hand in Hand, 2 men walk together in La Condesa.

Beso matutino. 11 am por la Avenida de la Reforma.

Siamese lovers joined at the hip. Even at a museum exhibit, these 2 would not let go of each other.

Better than a novela: Catfight entre las esposas y amantes de los mineros

La semana pasada puse un post sobre los mineros chilenos and their impending situation stuck in the belly of the earth. 3 months underground? 4 months? But God willing, they will survive. Aunque God only knows que situación vayan a enfrentar cuando finalmente regresen to the surface.

My mom alerted me of this story, which I actually found sad and comic at the same time…(mas sad que cómica, es cierto.) Resulta que ya salieron a relucir las supuestas amantes de algunos de los mineros, and as one would imagine, their legitimate wives are non too pleased!  ”¡Cómo que cómo? Y tú de dónde?” Pues sí, ahora resulta que algunos de los caballerosos mineros, que tan seriecitos se ven, tenían su catedral pero también su capillita, como dicen por ahí. Y la situación is getting complicated porque las wives y las lovers quieren parte de la indemnización y los “monies” que un benefactor les está destinando a las familias. Ay ay ay. ¡Qué complicación!! Y parece que ya hubo guamazos entre ellas.

Las esposas de los mineros chilenos no están muy contentas que digamos. (Foto: La Gaceta. www.intereconomia.com)

Here’s an excerpt from the article on La Gaceta, a newspaper from Spain: (read it in full here.)

Estas promesas económicas han despertado las más bajas pasiones entre los familiares y allegados. Y tanto que los psicólogos que velan por la salud de los mineros han prohibido a los familiares hablarles de asuntos monetarios, al tiempo que han puesto sus servicios a disposición de las esposas que ahora enfrentan la infidelidad de sus maridos. Algunos de los hombres tienen niños de varias mujeres y algunas de ellas han llegado al campamento a hacer valer su reclamo.
“¡Él es mi hombre! ¡Él me ama y yo soy su devota esposa! ¡Esa no tiene derecho!”, repetía a viva voz Marta Salinas, la pareja con papeles de Yonni Barrios Rojas, uno de los mineros atrapados. Mientras, Susana Valenzuela, la amante de Barrios, insistía en que él tenía intención de dejar a su esposa por ella. En la película que los propios mineros han grabado, Barrios le pide a su amante que se ocupe de decirle a su gente que ya pagará la plata que debe.

Oy vey! Habrá que ver cómo se arreglan. Pero primero esperemos que los mineros salgan sanos y salvos. Y luego aguas! Porque como dice William Shakespeare: “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”.

Cante y cante y cante con el Conjunto Primavera

El House of Blues de Sunset Blvd. estuvo sold out el miércoles en la noche con puros románticos mexicanos y latinos. Todos fuimos a ver al grupo de música regional norteña, Conjunto Primavera and boy did we have fun!

No sabía que fueran tan populares y tan taquilleros, pero de verdad no cabía ni un solo alfiler en el HOB. El concierto fue patrocinado por las tiendas La Curaçao “Un poco de su país” y fue un gran triunfo de los latinos en LA. Se anotaron un DIEZ. Lo que sea de cada quien, they really know their market and audience.

Fue mucha gente linda y super divertida, todos con sus iphones y blackberrys grabando el concierto y tomándoles fotos. El público les mandaba recaditos solicitándoles “una complacencia.” Y los chavos del Conjunto fueron super amables y leían todas las notitas que les enviaban al stage. Los leían como telegramas y mensajes en la radio, a toda velocidad “Margarita le manda saludos a Vicente y dice-que-lo-quiere-mucho-y-le-quiere-dedicar-una-canción-con-todo -su corazón, con mucho amor-y-dice-así-para-todos-ustedes…” y cantaban “Algo de Mi” and then people went crazy! Después otros mensajes solicitaban “Las Mañanitas “para la señora Conchita que esta festejando su cumpleaños…” Y luego leían saludos para los de Zacatecas, y los de Ojinaga, Chihuahua, y los de Guanajuato y hasta para los amigos de nuestra hermana República de El Salvador. No se quedaron atrás la Valeria y la Linda quienes pidieron la de ‘Empaca tus Cosas’ “…porque se vinieron a festejar que hoy se divorció Linda.” (Hey, there’s something for everybody to sing about!)

Todos, de verdad que todos se sabían las canciones de memoria y hasta las coreaban a ellos. ¿Qué se sentirá que el público te cante con tanta entrega y con tantas ganas? Me imagino que se siente muy bonito, pero más si estas fuera de tu país y entre tanta gente tan sincera.

“Si acaso supiera que me has extrañado tan solo un poquito…Con tan solo una muestra de amor, correría a buscarte… Porque no me haces este favor… ¿qué te cuesta extrañarmeeeeee?” fue una de las letras que mas eco tuvieron y asi se fueron con todo el repertorio.

No faltaron las parejas que bailaron mucho a pesar del poco espacio. Con el saxofón y el acordeón y la bateria, creo que ponían a bailar hasta las piedras.

Sin pena a decirlo, me encantó verlos y conocerlos.  El Conjunto Primavera canta padrisimo, tocan padrisimo, le ponen mucho feeling and they make you want sing about Love. ¿Qué más se puede pedir para un miércoles en la noche?

Aqui les dejo una de las que más me gustó.

The “Summer of Bricia”

Just a quick link to a great article that came out last week in the LA Times featuring the coolest girl on the planet, Bricia Lopez and her brother Fernando. They are continuing a great family restaurant tradition with their Guelaguetza chain of restaurants, as well as new business ventures and ideas.

I usually reserve my praises for generation Y kids, but these two are something else. They’re 25 and 23 years old and they could teach us older kids a thing or two. They are a force of entrepreneurship, family values, social media connections, foodie passions… y GANAS! Congrats to them and keep it coming. Felicidades Bricia!

Click here to read the LA Times Food section.

From the LA Times article published last week, Fernando and Bricia López, continuing the tradition of La Guelaguetza restaurants. (Photo: Kirk McCoy, LA Times)

Seguimos celebrando al Tri

TGIF! Gracias a Dios fue buena semana con muchas emociones.

Me encontré con este videoblog de Poncho, desde México, “Poncho en el Mundial” desde la revista Quien.com. Aquí se los pongo para que vean que los mexicanos rendimos mucho (y sabemos como tirar party) en Sudáfrica.  ¡Como la porra mexicana no hay dos! Y que tal el ambiente en el avión y las adaptaciones al uso de las Vuvuzelas… creo que les van a gustar.

A poco no les encanta tener acceso a todo esto con internet? Definitivamente uno de los perks de la tecnología, social media, blogs y real time tweets que nos conectan todos los días.

Please go see “El Secreto de Sus Ojos”

"El Secreto de Sus Ojos" is a must see film.

This year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Movie, “The Secret in Their Eyes”/ “El Secreto de Sus Ojos”  just opened this past weekend in Los Angeles. It is a beautiful movie from Argentina directed by Juan José Campanella. Believe me when I say this, you MUST see this movie. De veras. ¡La tienen que ver!

It was exciting to see this movie win the Oscar because it wasn’t considered a contender, but after watching it, and seeing the reaction of everyone in the jam packed theater at the ArcLight in Hollywood, I think this movie will become a classic. Including one scene in a soccer stadium that left us… WOW…how did they do that?

I’m no Roger Ebert, nor Manola Darghis, but I do love films, and for a few years I’ve been lamenting the fact that there are not that many good films being made anymore.  Real films, with stories that move you to the core, and honest acting done by real actors on real sets or locations. It’s almost a rarity now, if you think about it. And it has been a while since I’ve felt excited about a movie like this, especially because it’s in Spanish, y el español se oye muy bonito cuando lo hablan los argentinos.  No tuve tiempo de leer los subtítulos en inglés para ver si eran fieles a los diálogos, así que tendré que verla otra vez. At least in the title, they played around with the translation for “Sus”/”Their” versus “Sus”/Her or “Sus”/His interpretation, which was very clever.

Todos los actores se merecen un Oscar. Ricardo Darín, en el papel de Benjamin Espósito, es lo máximo, un actor al que le sientes toda su emoción en ese mismo momento. Soledad Villamil es hermosa y habla con los ojos; Guillermo Francela es uno de los mejores “sidekicks” que se puedan imaginar. Todos, todos brillantes.

Es difícil describir el género de la película porque los tiene todos. Something for everybody (except kids of course): drama, moments of dark comedy, love and romance, suspenso, misterio, film noir, tragedia, political thriller basado en la historia, un poco de horror, you name it! And even though it’s a bit long (2 hours 7 minutes) and I had a few tiny objections to the makeup and the third act, I loved loved loved this movie.

Check your local listings on moviefone.com for times. I suspect you’ll have to see it at an arthouse or one of the specialty  theaters. This is not a popcorn movie for the masses. It’s smart, intriguing, well written and acted, with a story you’ll be thinking about for days. You’ll remember quotes from the movie and scenes that will grow more on you as you leave the movie theater. “Una pasión es una pasión” is one of them for me. Bravo por “El Secreto de Sus Ojos”, now go see it and show your support for movies en español y el cine latinamericano.