Category Archives: Entertainment
Comedy + Undocumented Immigration: Do they mix?
Scene from film short, La Línea
When I received an E-mail from a man named Evan about a film described as “An indie feature comedy about undocumented immigration” – I was intrigued but also wary. “How can undocumented immigration be funny?” I asked myself.
I continued to read Evan’s E-mail, giving him the benefit of the doubt and followed the link he gave me to a Kickstarter campaign where I could find out more. (Kickstarter is a website where one is able to raise funds for projects.) The project, Sun Belt Express, is a film he wants to produce – and, well, I’ll let him tell you about it.
Even after viewing this video and sensing real sincerity from this guy, I was still a little skeptical. Mixing comedy with such a sensitive topic wouldn’t be easy, and if done without care, could do a lot of harm. I didn’t want to endorse something I wasn’t totally certain about so I asked if I could see the full length version of the film short, La Línea, to get a sense of what he’s up to. After watching it, I was sold. I can see why La Línea received the recognition that it did at film festivals and I can’t wait to see more from Evan and his team. What they’re working on is something special – something that deserves to be made.
The more I think about it, what could be more representative of Latinos than the ability to find humor in even the most difficult of situations? It’s one of the things I identify with and admire most about the culture.
I started to think about Carlos’s journey to the United States and some of the stories he’s told me – and yes, there are some funny ones – Maybe I’ll share them here one day, but for now, if you want to know more about Sun Belt Express, click over to their Kickstarter campaign, support them with a donation, and spread the word so they can get funded before the fast approaching deadline.
We Women Warriors
Today I want to share a really inspiring film with you. We Women Warriors is “an independent documentary feature that follows three native women who are caught in the crossfire of Colombia’s warfare and who use non-violent resistance to defend their people’s survival.” Check out the trailer and if you feel moved, see below for ways you can view the full film and help their cause.
This August you can see screenings of this film in New York and Los Angeles. Tickets are now available. Don’t live in NY or LA? You can still support We Women Warriors – visit the Take Action page of their website to find out how.
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Related link: Colombian Youth Choose Soccer over Violence
Ai Se Eu Te Pego – In Spanish!
I can’t remember when exactly I first heard and fell in love with Ai Se Eu Te Pego by Michel Teló – Was it a year ago? Two years ago?
For those not familiar, here is the original song – I love this video because it has the Spanish subtitles of the lyrics in Portuguese and also because those Spanish lyrics were written by a Spaniard who used the verb “coger” – A perfectly normal word in Spain meaning “to catch” or “to grab” – but to Latin American ears, (or gringa ears that are used to Latin American Spanish), the word means “to fuck” and it’s either offensive or hilarious. (I’m in the hilarious camp.)
While I can’t remember when I discovered the song, I can remember the way I discovered it, which was through watching videos of celebratory dances after fútbol goals. A lot of Brazilian soccer players like to do the Ai Se Eu Te Pego dance when they score a goal. Neymar seems to be an especially big fan – so much so that he’s brought the dance into the locker room as a way to annoy/entertain his teammates.
However, Ronaldo and Marcelo like to dance, too.
Muchachos, if you don’t enjoy watching Neymar and Ronaldo doing that provocative little dance as much as I do, my apologies. Feel free to go over to Pitbull’s remix of the song, a video which features women in bikinis. (It’s Pitbull. Would you expect anything less?)
Anyway, yesterday at work, one of Carlos’s Mexican coworkers started singing Ai Se Eu Te Pego, but he had changed the words to Spanish:
Hermosa, hermosa usted a mi me mata
Ay si te veo, ay ay si te veo eh
Hermosa, hermosa usted a mi me mata
Ay si te beso, ay ay si te beso eh
Of course I thought this was hilarious and started to type up a Facebook status to share, and then I asked myself, “Wait a minute… maybe there’s really a Spanish remix and he was just singing it?”
The song’s popularity would certainly have resulted in a Spanish version, by now, right? Come on, if there is a Spanish version of Michael Jackson’s Thriller out there, and a Spanish Duranguense version of Justin Bieber’s Baby, surely there must be a Spanish version of the wildly popular Ai Se Eu Te Pego by Michel Teló! … Well gente, the internet did not let me down. Here it is, Ai Se Eu Te Pego, versión español. This one is called, Ay si te beso by Argentinian musician, “Feice.” Chécalo!
Not crazy about that one? Here’s one by a guy who simply goes by the name Roberto:
Another one in Spanish by DJotta y Fenix:
This Spanish version by Rico Alexis actually uses the phrasing “Ay, si te cojo, mami” – the guy is Chilean but living in Spain – so did he mean it the Spanish way or the Chilean way? You decide.
Heelys! (Zapatos con ruedas)
Heelys (the shoes with wheels), have a new line of shoes coming out this fall – and many of them are designed for women! I was offered a pair for review but, as much as I wanted to try them, I opted to get a pair for my 10 year old instead. (Honestamente, my roller skating and ice skating skills aren’t so bueno, so I don’t know if I’d be able to get the hang of Heelys.)
Heelys can be worn with or without the wheels, (we will have to take the wheels off if he wears them to school), but most people don’t know they come in adult sizes. In addition to the adult sizes, Heelys is introducing three brand new lines – an athletic shoe which will be lighter in weight, shoes made specifically for girls and women with more fashion forward colors and styles, and a street shoe with improved outsoles. (Ahora falta botas picudas con ruedas. Can you imagine? Now that would be chévere!)
For more information you can find Heelys on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, in addition to their regular website.
My 10 year old was super feliz to finally get a pair of Heelys. These are the “Element” style Heelys in Youth size 3. The wheels were easy to install and are easy to take out, too.
It took my son about 30 minutes to get the hang of them. The trick is positioning your feet just so.
Once he knew how to use the Heelys, he didn’t want to stop. Here’s a little video to give you a taste of the fun.
Now he wants to learn how to do tricks with the Heelys. I’m happy he’s found another activity to get him outside and away from the video games.
Disclosure: A pair of Heelys was provided for review. All opinions are my own.
Dora the Explorer (like you’ve never seen her before)
All the episodes of Dora the Explorer I sat through when my boys were younger are suddenly worth it. Check out our favorite belly-baring bilingual niña in her latest adventure.
(Note: If you have little Dora the Explorer fans hanging around, watch this parody video when they’re taking a nap – It’s definitely not for them.)
(Hat tip to my little sister for sending this to me.)
Team USA! (Made in China)
Controversy broke out when it was discovered that the 2012 Olympics uniforms for Team USA were made in China. (Read more on CNN.com.) There was so much outrage regarding Team USA’s uniforms that the sponsor (Ralph Lauren), has now promised that they’ll “manufacture uniforms domestically for the 2014 games.”
The timing of this story couldn’t be more perfect. Just the other day I spotted the clearance rack of Independence Day shirts at Wal-Mart. Carlos and I noticed a couple years ago that they were made in El Salvador – (for some reason this always amuses us.) So I went to check this year’s stock of American flag shirts, and sure enough – “HECHO EN EL SALVADOR.”
Celebrate U.S. Independence Day with a shirt made in El Salvador
What do you think about items with the American flag, (or American flags themselves), as well as the Team USA Olympics uniforms being made in other countries?
If our economy was running well and the jobs weren’t needed, would your opinion change? Why or why not?
Naco? Pocho?
What is a Naco? What is a Pocho? Have you ever been called one of these words? Do you readily identify yourself as a naco or a pocho? Do you find them offensive?
Mun2 discusses these words with some famous faces including: Lalo Alcaraz, Xavier El Eléctrico, Gustavo Arellano, Penelope Menchaca, Alacranes Musical, Alex Rivera, Luis de Alba, Edoardo Chavarin, La Bronca, Larry Hernandez, 3ball MTY (pictured above), Gloria Trevi, Daniel Hernandez, Gerardo Ortiz, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Edward James Olmos, Montez de Durango, Jenni Rivera, and Duelo.
Check out the video over on mun2!
For English version with Spanish subtitles [CLICK HERE]
For Spanish version with English subtitles: [CLICK HERE]
¡Qué Padre!
Look what I found at Wal-Mart for $3 over the weekend:
You may be asking yourself the same thing I asked myself, “Why in the world would Wal-Mart, of all places, have this random awesome shirt in Spanish?”
After flipping through some other shirts on the rack, I finally understood. The shirt is a play on words! These shirts were on clearance from Father’s Day.
La Bondad, Pásala – (Kindess, Pass it on)
Today is Spanish Friday so this post is in Spanish. If you participated in Spanish Friday on your own blog, leave your link in comments. English translation is below!
Image source: Paul
Hay unos comerciales que salen en la televisión que no están vendiendo nada salvo la idea que podemos hacer actos de bondad, y practicar otras virtudes como la honestidad. Esos comerciales son producidos por La Fundación para una Vida Mejor y cuando los veo, a veces me sacan las lágrimas porque me pongo a pensar que bonito podría ser el mundo si todos intentaban tratar a los demás con amabilidad.
Puedes ver más comerciales en español de La Fundación para una Vida Mejor en su sitio de web, UnaVidaMejor.org. (Mi favorito no estaba disponible en YouTube. Aquí está.)
Viste los comerciales de La Fundación para una Vida Mejor? Cuál es tu favorito? Cómo te hacen sentir?
[ENGLISH TRANSLATION]
There are some commercials on TV that are not selling anything but the idea that we can do acts of kindness, and practice other virtues like honesty. These commercials are produced by The Foundation for a Better Life and when I see them, sometimes it brings tears to my eyes to think how beautiful the world could be if everyone just tried to treat others with kindness.
You can find more commercials in Spanish at the Foundation for a Better Life website, UnaVidaMejor.org. (My favorite was not available on YouTube. Here it is.)
Have you seen the commercials from the Foundation for a Better Life? Which is your favorite? How do they make you feel?
Playing Games as a Familia
I tried to initiate a “game night” at our house and while we haven’t made a habit of playing a particular day each week, we do play more often than we used to. One game we play is Say Anything family edition. My favorite thing about Say Anything, (besides the fact that it’s fun and everyone in the family likes it), is that it’s easy to set up, easy to learn, easy to play, and easy to clean up. I also like that I can just translate the questions to Spanish when I read them although they’re in English. (I ask the boys to write their answers in Spanish when they can, too.)
Wits & Wagers (family edition), is another game by North Star Games that we’ve played and like.
Whether you’ve played any of these games before or not, there’s a fun contest going on right now that you can participate in. Here are the details:
WHAT?
North Star Games is looking for new questions for their Say Anything and Wits & Wagers game cards – and they’re asking YOU to submit them! If they choose your question, it will be used in a special edition of the game along with Latinaish.com (example below)
A sample game card shows how your name/photo might appear along with “Latinaish.com fan”
HOW?
Go to the North Star Games Facebook page and submit your question. (NOTE: Do not leave your submission on Latinaish.com! Questions not submitted directly to North Star Games via their Facebook page can not be considered.)
Important! Be sure to mention Latinaish.com in your entry so they know what to print on the game card along with your name if you’re chosen.
WHEN?
Right now! The Facebook contest starts today, June 25th 2012, and runs for two weeks.
PRIZE?
At the end of the contest, North Star Games will pick their favorite questions which will be printed and included in a limited edition Facebook Fan Promo Pack of their games. The chosen winners will receive all three limited edition Facebook Fan Promo Pack games.
The very best questions will make it into future print editions of their games and will be made available in stores nationwide!
Good luck! Now go enter!
Disclosure: This is not a paid or sponsored post. I received no monetary compensation for this post. I received games from North Star Games with no obligation to review them and will also receive games if a reader of Latinaish.com has their question chosen in the Facebook contest. All opinions are my own.
