Un Gancho al Corazon

Long time no blog! Just wanted to say a few words about "Un Gancho al Corazón" before it ends. I've enjoyed the heck out of this show.

I say this a lot about telenovelas, but I really do think THIS show has the BEST cast I've seen. Even Sebastian Rulli, stuck with the thankless role of the usual brain-dead hero, manages to make him sympathetic and likeable.

It's hard to pick the best actor on the show, but among my favorites are Raul Araiza as Beto, Laisha Wilkins as Constanza, and Verónica Jaspeado as Ximena. Beto and Constanza are so endlessly hilarious that they deserve their own show. And Verónica Jaspeado is a true comedian.

Ximena speaks her own made-up language, and for a while I couldn't figure her out at all -- did she have an accent or what? Finally I got it. "Sipi" is "yes." "Nopi" is no. "Super marvy wow" is -- well, just about everything that happens to Ximena. It helps that Ximena uses a LOT of English, and I mean a lot. And her accent is very good, very American sounding to my ear, much better than the other characters, like Gabby and Paula, who supposedly can speak English and obviously can't in real life. I really get a kick out of ditsy Ximena and her "Can I tell you three things?" She should get her own show, too.

The writing on the show is good. This show is SUCH a contrast to its hideously horrendously awful predecessor, "Las Tontas No Van a Cielo." Las Tontas No Van a Want to Watch Telenovelas if that's the only one they've ever seen. Bad bad bad. Gancho is such a refreshing contrast.

It doesn't hurt that Sebastian Rulli is the most handsome man in the history of men.

What the show lacks: Not much. The theme song isn't as catchy as it could be. I'm tired of hearing it. And hmm... I don't like the character of Marcos or the fake jolly way the actor plays him.

Best Hair Award, female: This is a tie between Gabriela and Constanza. I can't choose. Actually, all the women on this show have fantastic hair.

Best Hair Award, male: Mauricio, for sure.

Well, that's enough rambling from me. I love this show and its cast. And I can't believe how much my Spanish comprehension has improved while watching it. Thank you for the laughs.

Meet the real Patricio

The official website of Valentino Lanús.

For some reason, it's in English, and it looks as if he wrote it himself, which is really nice. Me encanta.

Las Tontas No Van a Cielo...

...but I wish they would already. What a drag this show turned out to be. A zillion and one characters and storylines going nowhere fast -- I mean slow. Month after month of Candi grinning in every scene except the ones where she cries. She's good at crying and should stick to that.

The one redeeming factor is Patricio. Valentino Lanus is now one of my favorite telenovela stars. He's made a potentially tedious character very endearing. Actually, most of the cast is pretty good.

It's just the show that's awful. It makes Duelo de Pasiones look like Shakespeare. Well, not really, but I feel like saying it anyway. Bad, bad, bad writing on Las Tontas Go Around in Pointless Circles With Frequent Detours Into Dead Ends. BAD! MUY MAL!

To pass the time while the show drones on, my family has taken to thinking up nicknames for whiny Lucia. We took a vote and she was dubbed Losercia. Her middle name is Mizerally because she's so miserable. We may start thinking up nicknames for Candi next.

Go away, Las Tontas. Come back, Duelo de Pasiones. All is forgiven! (Well, not really.)

(Btw, I ended up enjoying "Querida Enemiga" very much. Early on I called it vanilla, but I forgot that vanilla is my favorite ice cream flavor, and it seems I like vanilla telenovelas too.)

In my dreams

I have been enjoying "Querida Enemiga," but was surprised to have a dream last night about Ernesto, the new love interest for heroine Lorena.

On the show Ernesto is a (very attractive) chef and cooking teacher. In my dream, I was walking to school and was surprised to see that Ernesto was the crossing guard. I wondered, "Why are they making him do this? He's my English teacher!" (Yes, English, not Spanish. Don't ask me.)

Then I went into the school and saw him mopping the floor. Poor guy. That school was really taking advantage of him.

If I'm going to dream about Ernesto, you'd think I could do a bit better than that, but that was the whole dream.

I have no idea what the dream meant. But Ernesto -- aka whatever-the-actor's-real-name is -- is welcome to teach me English anytime.

Lyrics to "Querida Enemiga" theme song

I like trying to translate the lyrics to telenovela theme songs, and fortunately the theme to "Querida Enemiga" is pretty easy to understand. It also fits the show very well.

They original Spanish lyrics are here. And here's my attempt to translate the song into English:

She Has Robbed You

She lies,
I don't want to hurt you
I love you like no one
And I don't want to separate from you.
She lies
It's not true that I've forgotten you
I'll always be on your side, although they try to move you away from me.

If her voice has confused you
With all this love I ask you
Feel what we are you and I.

She has stolen the happiness that was in your heart
She has taken from my life
Your caresses and the force of this love
She really is your enemy
It's hidden in your pain [or, she's behind your pain?]
Don't pay attention to what she says
Only listen to your heart.

If I got something wrong, please tell me so!

After two months...

... maybe I should post something. I am still watching whatever's on the 7 PM ET Univision time slot, and right now that's "Querida Enemiga." It's not the most exciting show, but it's pleasant and it's growing on me.

The heroine, Lorena, is likeable, and the villain, Sara, is hateable. In fact, she gives me the creeps. I've known someone like Sara (although, fortunately, the real person was not as smart as Sara), so I find the character plausible enough.

I especially like Hortensia, a good believable villain with a few dim streaks of humanity (well, maybe specks rather than streaks), and I think the actress plays her perfectly. I also think the actor playing Jaime is doing a great job. Oh, and Arturo is another good villain.

There aren't enough good-looking men on this show. Alonso and Julian should take their shirts off more, that would help. Dario is good-looking but not very likeable.

The "humor" on the show falls very flat. They keep playing comical music to tell us that we're supposed to laugh. Too bad it's usually not funny.

About Omar and Zulema... I know they are supposed to be wonderful people and wonderful parents, but they haven't spent a lot of time getting to know their supposed long-lost daughter, have they? "Mi hija! How I have missed you! Of course you will move in. Here's your bed... Hmm, how strange that I do not feel close to my hija I have only exchanged 15 words with." Zulema has made some efforts to connect with Sara, but Omar pretty much ignores her. Omar is kind of clueless all around for a guy who's supposed to be so wonderful. I find myself liking Jaime more.

Well, it's not fantastically written like "Piel de Otono" or fanastically directed like "Heridas de Amor"; it doesn't have an amazing lead character and great music like "Juan Querendon"; it's not even idiotic yet addictive like "Peregrina" and "Duelo de Pasiones." It's a very vanilla telenovela. But even a vanilla telenovela is better than no telenovela, so I'm watching it. And liking it.

Is Alexis Ayala an American?

Just wondering whether Alexis Ayala, who plays Cesar Luis on "Juan Querendon," is an American citizen. I know he was born in San Francisco, his real first name is David, and he has a daughter named Stephanie, so all of that sounds potentially American, but I can't find much more info about him online.

From the first time I saw the show, I wondered if he was American, simply because I find him easier to understand than the other actors. I don't know Spanish well enough to tell if he has an accent, but (to my ear) he seems to speak more slowly and clearly than most telenovela actors. The last time I thought this about an actor (Guy Ecker) he did turn out to be an American.

Well, that's not entirely true, I also thought that about the actor who played Luigi on "La Fea Mas Bella," and I don't know if he's American. So maybe this is all in my imagination. But if anyone knows more about the good-looking and clear-speaking Mr. Ayala than Wikipedia has to offer, please share.

Long time no blog

How disgraceful that I can't update this blog at least once a month. Well, I am still watching "Juan Querendon" and enjoying the heck out of it. It's the second best telenovela I've seen, after "Piel de Otono."

I'd like to know if there is some connection between the two shows -- it has two of the same actresses (Liliana/Marely and Rosario/Ana) and the characters on Juan Q. have been shown watching Piel several times. I got a big kick out of the scene where Paula tries to explain Piel to sulking Cesar Luis, who of course immediately takes the side of Ramon, the bullying husband on Piel.

My Spanish comprehension continues to improve, although my grammar is not much better. I don't take the time to study systematically so I'm learning entirely by ear. I tell myself it's OK because that's the way children learn languages. But I don't hear as much Spanish as a child in a Spanish-speaking country would, so as a Spanish speaker I'm probably still at toddler level.

I have one advantage over toddlers -- they don't get to watch telenovelas. Although I did see a parody telenovela on "Plaza Sesamo," aka Mexican "Sesame Street," starring the same actor who plays Juan Q. That was a lot of fun.

Nothing else to say now but I'll try to update this blog more often.

Por Amarte lyrics

Yes, I'm still hung up on this song, so here are the lyrics.

Can't remember if I mentioned this already, but the song is on the CD "Enamorado" (which also include a DVD with the song's video).

A few words about Pepe Aguilar

I got a Pepe Aguilar CD for Christmas, and I'm still in love with his song "Por Amarte" (the theme song to "Destilando Amor"), so I looked him up on Wikipedia. Guess what? He's an American. He's also 6'5" (wow). And he was born in 1968. His official website is here.

7 Dias

I recently watched the movie "7 Dias," which features Jaime Camil (formerly Fernando on La Fea Mas Bella) in a major role. He plays a gangster, and he looks quite different in this role -- so much so that you'd hardly recognize him -- and of course he gives a very good performance, no surprise there.

Guess who else is in the movie? The actor who plays Alirio on Juan Querendon. The movie is supposed to be a comedy (more on that below) but Alirio has a serious role as a scary gangster and he is quite believable. So for any Alirio haters out there -- like my grandmother, who is convinced that Mexicans migrate to the US simply to get away from Alirio -- the actor really can act. (I don't know why Alirio's yelling is supposed to be funny but I'm sure there's a reason. Maybe he's doing an impression of a famous politician or something? But I digress.)

The movie is about a concert promoter who risks his life to try to organize a U2 concert in his city. It's a comedy but I couldn't tell that at first because of the intense scenes of the promoter almost being executed by Jaime Camil, Alirio and their minions.

It didn't help that I opted to watch without subtitles to test my Spanish comprehension. Well, I failed the test. I understood almost nothing that was said. It sounded to me as if everyone was muttering throughout the entire movie. Jaime Camil does have one big, lengthy speech but I didn't understand that, either. Duh me.

No wonder people make fun of telenovelas -- they must be very simplistic because I can usually understand them pretty well, but as soon as I leave telenovela land I'm in trouble. Even Plaza Sesamo (Spanish "Sesame Street") defeats me. But I am digressing again.

Even if you don't understand Spanish, some of the movie's humor comes through thanks to Jaime Camil. He's the highlight of the movie, at least for me. As a U2 fan, I'm sorry to say that the band does not appear in the movie except in some concert footage at the end, although you can hear their songs all the way through (must be new stuff because I didn't recognize most of it; no Joshua Tree here).

Netflix offers "7 Dias" now so you can get it there if you're a member. If not, look on Amazon. I didn't love it, but it was interesting and worth watching. Next time I'll use the subtitles.

I now officially love Pepe Aguilar

I've fallen in love with Pepe Aguilar's song "Por Amarte," which is the theme song for the show "Destilando Amor," so I went looking for the video. You can see it here.

And, as a bonus, here's the video for another Pepe Aguilar song, "Almohada." I think this one's pretty great, too.

Hey -- why didn't Jaime Camil win?

No es justo! Why didn't Jaime Camil win Best Actor on the "TV y Novelas 2007" awards show? I'm sure Eduardo Yáñez did a good job on his show, but NO ONE could have been better than Jaime Camil as Fernando on La Fea Mas Bella.

Come on -- this gorgeous man had to make us believe he was truly, madly in love with Lety -- who wasn't just "fea" but seriously ridiculous with her grandma clothes and goofy laugh -- and he pulled it off. When he cried over his silly screen saver of Lety, we believed him! When he showed his very silly photo of Lety to total strangers and raved about how beautiful she was, we believed him! He gave a great comic performance AND a great dramatic performance. El es el mejor actor del mundo! Esta es un however-you-say-travesty!

And while I am complaining, "Heridas de Amor" should have won best direction and best theme song. And what was up with Diana Bracho not winning best primer actriz? Maybe she should have been nominated for best female villain instead. Anyway, she deserved a prize.

Oh well. Jaime and Diana -- on this blog, you're always winners.

Yo amo a Juan Querendón, Thursday October 18

Yo amo a Juan Querendón, Thursday October 18 - I hope it's OK if I say mean things about Paula

Juan Querendon recap for Tuesday, October 16

Paula told Marely that Fernando saw her kissing Cesar Luis. Marely said, "Do you have to destroy Juan's heart? Bravo, congratulations!" Paula protested that she "felt bad" for Juan, and assured Marely he wouldn't lose his job as long as Pastor was working for Farell.

Cesar Luis apologized to Pastor for being aggressive earlier. "Friends, right?" He insisted that Pastor accept a whiskey, then asked in his smarmy casual way, "How did it go with Monica? I heard you went out with her for a little coffee."

Pastor said he asked Monica to protect him from Cesar Luis. CL insisted he wouldn't really have fired Pastor, who was his right hand. Pastor revealed that he hadn't told Monica the truth about CL and Paula.

Monica went home and told Chelo it seemed the attraction between CL and Paula was mutual. She said if she found out anything had happened between them, it would go very badly for CL and Paula.

Alirio bored CL with a report about his investigation (not mentioning the embezzlement, apparently). CL yelled at Alirio for interrupting him with his stupidities and ordered Alirio out of the office. As usual, everyone in the office heard the argument.

Fernando told Juan he'd told him how things were for his own good. Juan asked Fernando to promise not to talk about Paula anymore. Fernando agreed and they shook hands. Paula showed up and asked Juan to take her to a car lot so she could buy a car. (Of course she does this on company time. Why not.)

At the car lot, Juan got into the back seat with Paula and said, "You don't know what this relationship means for me. It's the most important thing that's happened in my life." Paula complained that he had made plans without consulting her (yes, what a jerk, bringing her breakfast without permission!!)

Juan said he could change if she asked him to. Paula said, "The problem isn't you. It's me." Juan said, "I love you. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Paula said, "A lot. But the decision is made."

Later, as Paula talked to a car salesman, Juan puzzled over why she had led him on and then suddenly dropped him. On the way back to work, Juan told Paula he didn't feel like talking, thinking that he would give her some of her own medicine.

Alirio called Nidia and said he might quit his job. I didn't get Nidia's reply, but Alirio didn't like it.

Yadira showed up in the garage to see Enrique. He asked why she wouldn't leave him in peace anywhere he went. Yadira said, "I am pregnant. You are going to be a papa. Congratulations!" Enrique exclaimed, "How could you do this?" Yadira said "I didn't do it alone. Why don't we get married before we tell my mother." Enrique still wasn't happy, so Yadira stormed off. Fernando asked, "Problems?"

When Juan and Paula arrived back at the office, Juan didn't open the car door for Paula, just started reading a newspaper. Paula got in front the seat with him and complained about his attitude, saying it was typical macho infantile behavior. "I thought you were a special man, different from all the other men." She said he was making her very sad. (Oh, boo hoo!) She even said, "We had something very beautiful."

After she left, Enrique commented that he'd never seen Juan neglect to open the door for Paula before. Thinking that he had to save his image, Juan bragged that Paula had said she was "nothing without him," etc.

Gomez told Alirio he didn't get along with his accomplice so he would reveal who it was: Pastor Gaitan.

Paula complained to Marely that she hadn't expected Juan to react the way he did. She went into a dreamy trance, saying that Juan was the perfect man, then snapped out of it. This woman really is confused.

Juan told Enrique that he had an idea to get Paula back, but he didn't have much time. Enrique told Juan that Yadira is pregnant. He declared that he would never abandon his children, and said he'd always dreamed of being a papa, then looked distressed and added, "But Yadira is never going to change."

Yadira went home and told Nidia (who was in the bathtub) that she was pregnant. Nidia cried and said Yadira had done the worst possible thing to her, "You've made me into a grandmother! This can't be happening to me!"

Back at the garage, Juan made a phone call, then told Enrique he was going to serenade his beloved licenciada tonight. He showed Enrique a Pablo Montero CD.

When Cesar Luis and Paula left work, Juan observed the icy atmosphere between them and was relieved that he didn't have to worry about CL for a while.

Aliro met with Pastor and revealed that he knew Pastor had authorized the illicit transactions (or words to that effect). Pastor said, "You are accusing me!" Alirio said it was not only him, it was also Gomez.

When Juan reached Paula's house, he opened the car door for her, then asked if she would be home that night. Bowling-Ball Boobs said yes, she was tired and wouldn't be going anywhere. Juan was pleased that she would be there when he came back with Pablo Montero.

He and Enrique went to a hotel, wearing sunglasses. Juan put on some accent, Cuban I suppose, and asked the desk clerk for Pablo Montero. The clerk said Pablo was busy. Juan claimed he was Emilio Estefan (a musician, Gloria Estefan's husband). The clerk believed it and called Pablo's room. Before Juan and Enrique went upstairs, a woman saw them and told the desk clerk Juan wasn't Emilio Estefan. She called security.

Security guards chased Juan and Enrique through the halls upstairs. Somehow they made it to Pablo M.'s room. Pablo came in, dressed just like Emiliooo from "Duelo de Pasiones," including a cowboy hat. Juan tried to hug him, but Pablo wasn't buying it, so Juan introduced himself and said he'd told "a little lie in the cause of love. Only you can help me get back the love of my life!"

Before Pablo could answer, security guards ran in and pointed guns at Juan. This really is starting to seem like an episode of Duelo de Estupidos.

No recap from me tomorrow, but at Sylvia's request I will do one more, on Thursday.