Posted by Elena del Valle on February 1, 2006
Jazmin sings on La Academia USA
Mexico City, Mexico – In concert eleven of La Academia USA, Diana, a very talented contestant from Chula Vista, was voted off the show; Iván and Mariana are slipping in eyes of judges; Jazmín has "the makings of a star" according to some; and Adán sang well.
“I feel very sad, but at the same time content, because I’m going to be able to demonstrate many things here outside. There’s much more of Diana to go around,” said the 20-year-old entertainer.
Diana was on born on Sept. 6, 1985 in Tijuana. She showed an aptitude for music at an early age, and under the guidance of her grandfather studied the violin, flute and piano. She said that her relationship with the Puerto Rican contestant, Frankie, will continue. With ten contestants as of concert eleven, the La Academia USA action heats up as contestants continue to pursue their dreams.
The opening medley was of Mexican favorites like “Mi Ciudad,” “Que Bonita Es mi Tierra,” “Dos Arbolitos” and “Cielito Lindo.” With a strong audience reception, Diana gave a stellar and sensual performance of “Muriendo Lento” that left the panel judge Arturo López Gavito in awe.
“You were daring and I like the way you faced the judging panel. You took a worn-out ballad and showed that you are a stellar artist in any genre,” said López Gavito.
Next was Iván, from Phoenix, with “Te Buscaría.” His performance was described by judges as “boring” and “disappointing” due to recurring errors. Lolita Cortés concluded that part of the blame was with the La Academia USA instructors. Frankie received a surprise when his parents were invited on stage. His feelings appeared to get the best of him when he sang “En mi Viejo San Juan.”
“You were a little rigid, as you have been in several occasions. You were nervous in front of your parents, but don’t abuse your vibrato and continue to grow,” said the judge María Conchita Alonso.
Mariana, from El Paso, gave a disappointing performance with "Me Asusta, Pero Me Gusta.” Lolita Cortés blamed the results on the scenography and song selection. Afid, from Houston, received the second surprise of the evening when his mother and wife were invited onstage while he presented “Volveré.” Gustavo, from Santa Ana, California sang “La Camisa Negra.” His nervousness once again was blamed for a lackluster performance.
“Your moves were good. You have a strong voice. However, your challenge was timing. You approached the song with fear, and that wasn’t good,” said Adrián Pieragostino.
Nohelia, a Honduran contestant from Miami, once again showed her versatility with "Como Olvidar.” Then Yoshigei interpreted the hit song “Listen to Your Heart,” in what was considered by many to be one of the best performances of the evening. Adán’s performance of “Mi Bombón,” was described as sensual and beyond. Finally, Jazmín closed the evening, with her interpretation of “A Mi Manera,” dedicated to her father who passed away when she was nine.
Posted by Elena del Valle on February 1, 2006
John Paton, chairman and CEO of ImpreMedia
New York, New York – ImpreMedia, LLC, a leading publisher of Spanish language newspapers in the U.S., acquired La Prensa, a leading Spanish language newspaper in central Florida. The acquisition was made with proceeds of an $82.5 million credit facility with Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Group, L.P. This is the fifth company acquired by ImpreMedia, following one month after its acquisition of El Mensajero in the San Francisco Bay area.
"We are pleased to add La Prensa to our company," said John Paton, chairman and CEO of ImpreMedia. "By adding the Orlando and Tampa reach of La Prensa, we now offer seven first-class publications in six vibrant markets. We can continue to provide national advertisers with an unmatched Spanish language newspaper footprint in top U.S. markets that are home to over 16 million Hispanics, 37 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population. “This is a first step for ImpreMedia into Florida and we hope to expand that presence soon. We add La Prensa, which is distributed across Central Florida, to properties in New York, Illinois, and California, where we have the nation’s largest Spanish language daily newspaper , La Opinión in Los Angeles. ImpreMedia now offers irresistible market reach and an unbeatable nationwide platform of high quality local journalism.”
"My husband and I founded La Prensa more than a quarter of a century ago and we believe that ImpreMedia is the right custodian of La Prensa’s history and its future,” said Dora Casanova de Toro, publisher of La Prensa. “We are also genuinely excited by the growth opportunity that ImpreMedia now provides for our readers, advertisers and employees. ImpreMedia has demonstrated its strong commitment to the Hispanic community in each of its acquisitions and shown a genuine passion at each of its publications for local production of high-quality Spanish-language journalism. I look forward to continuing as a member of the ImpreMedia team in the next phase of La Prensa’s growth."
Rossana Rosado, publisher and CEO of El Diario and La Prensa
“National attention has been given to the Hispanic communities in South Florida,” said Rossana Rosado, publisher and CEO of El Diario and La Prensa in New York City. “But the growth of Hispanic communities in Central Florida has actually outpaced the rest of the state’s growth, 11 percent to 8 percent. Hispanic purchasing power in Central Florida alone is now in the range of $13 billion with no slowdown in sight.”
“The proportion of dollars spent on Hispanic-targeted newspaper advertising remains significantly below that spent on English-language newspapers, despite projections that say that Hispanic purchasing power will grow at three times the U.S. average,” added Paton. “We intend to bridge that gap by continuing to rapidly build upon what is already the biggest platform for publishing Spanish language newspapers in this country.”
La Prensa also joins ImpreMedia’s Domingo Network, one of the nation’s largest Hispanic residential print networks. According to ImpreMedia, with the addition of La Prensa’s weekly circulation of 50,000 ImpreMedia’s Domingo Network will now have a weekly distribution of more than 800,000 in high density Hispanic neighborhoods across the United States; between its Domingo Network and paid daily circulation in New York and Los Angeles, ImpreMedia now has a total weekly distribution of more than 1.9 million. ImpreMedia publishes La Opinión and La Opinión Contigo in Los Angeles, El Diario/La Prensa and El Diario Contigo in New York City, La Raza in Chicago, El Mensajero in the San Francisco Bay area, and now La Prensa in Central Florida, some of the leading Spanish language newspapers in each of their respective markets.
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