Posted by Elena del Valle on May 11, 2011
Scene from German series No Mataras
Photo: Vme
In addition to targeting cooking aficionados and young children (see Starting today Vme, National Wildlife Federation to air translated program for preschool kids and National Spanish language TV network offers extensive cooking programming) Vme programming executives want to reach adults 18 to 49 years of age. With that goal in mind the Spanish language network is launching No Matarás, a German produced series making its United States debut on Vme this month. The show was translated into Spanish.
No Matarás (Spanish for You Will Not Kill) features Father Simon Castell (Francis Fulton-Smith), a special commissioner of the Holy See and the Vatican’s personal private eye, and Marie Blank (Christine Döring), his police partner, as a crime fighting duo. Vme plans to broadcast 15 episodes of the hour long program produced by UFA International Film and TV Production GmbH and shot in Rome and Caprarola.
In the program, Father Castell is cast as handsome, outgoing, and tenacious with an atypical personality to match the job the Vatican has assigned him. He is aided in his task by a good sense of humor, a fanatical love of soccer and the ability to crack safes. His partner is a police inspector described as a clever and tough single mom. The two team up to catch crooks and build a sometimes difficult relationship that relies on his knowledge of the church and her knowledge of the streets. The episodes will air at 10 p.m. ET Wednesday nights beginning May 11, 2011.
Vme (pronounced veh-meh) is a national Spanish-language television network presented by public television stations. The 24-hour Spanish network available in 10 million homes, offers drama, music, sports, news, current affairs, Latin cinema, food, lifestyle, nature and educational preschool content.
Posted by Elena del Valle on April 22, 2011
The Animalitos Exploradores team members – click to enlarge
Photo: Vme
The National Wildlife Federation(NWF) and Vme want Spanish speaking children to appreciate nature. In an effort to reach Hispanic preschoolers and their families the television network and the not for profit organization have teamed up to launch a TV series in Spanish scheduled to premiere today.
Animalitos Exploradores (Wild Animal Baby Explorers) will air daily at 8:45 a.m. during the Vme Niños block of programming for children that airs between 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (ET) and the 24/7 cable channel Vme Kids. Eighty segments have been dubbed into Spanish from the original English language 15 minute episodes.
Based on NWF’s preschool magazine, Wild Animal Baby, the show is a combination of 3D animated characters and high-definition live-action footage. The program features five intrepid wildlife characters and an NSI (Natural Science Investigator) unit while they explore the natural world around them. According to promotional materials, Animalitos Exploradores showcases young children and families engaging in simple and easily executable outdoor activities designed to teach them to appreciate nature.
“With Animalitos Exploradores, as in everything we do, NWF is committed to making learning fun for kids while instilling in them a lifelong respect for wildlife and the environment,” said Tony Summers, director, Production of NWF.
Guillermo Sierra, senior vice president, Vme
“Animalitos Exploradores fosters early nature exploration and helps preschoolers understand the world around them,” said Guillermo Sierra, senior vice president of programming at Vme. “By bringing Wild Animal Baby Explorers to Vme, we are able to expose young viewers to the beauties of the natural world and foster a respect for nature that lasts them a lifetime.”
The Animalitos Exploradores are Benita The Beaver, described as seeing beauty in all things, eager, warmhearted, and a tactile learner; Skip The Rabbit described as the group leader and a logical thinker; Izzy The Owl, described as plucky and curious; Sammy The Skunk, described as the youngest member of the group who loves to hide, is unabashedly silly and serves as the eyes, ears and attitude of the show’s young viewers; and Miss Sally The Salamander, described as the oldest in the group and the big sister who uses her knowledge and teaching skills to keep everyone on track.
The National Wildlife Federation is one of the nation’s largest conservation organizations with four million members and supporters. The group strives to connect people with nature, and inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future.” Vme (pronounced veh-meh) is a national Spanish-language television network presented by public television stations. The 24-hour Spanish network available in 10 million homes, offers drama, music, sports, news, current affairs, Latin cinema, food, lifestyle, nature and educational preschool content.
Posted by Elena del Valle on April 18, 2011
Paulina Abascal, host, Pastelería.mx
Photos: Vme
Vme boasts about its Spanish language cooking block in Vme Cocina which accounts for 5 percent of its overall programming. Earlier this month Vme announced a new schedule starting at 12:30 p.m. Features in the daily two hour block Sunday to Friday showcase the knowledge and styles of chefs from varied countries including Colombia, Mexico, Spain and Venezuela. Vme hosts the block of programs call Vme Cocina and produces the interstitials. The programs within the block, 12 hours per week, come from its production partners, elgourment.com, Scripts and Localia.
In Nuevos Sabores (Spanish for new flavors) shot in Mexico Isabella Dorantes and Gerardo Rivera, two young Mexican chefs, share cooking advice from their home kitchen. Chef Alfredo Oropeza of Más Sabor en Menos Tiempo (Spanish for more flavor in less time) demonstrates how to prepare quality recipes quickly at home for those on a budget. Orígenes con Catalina Vélez, a Colombian chef, prepares Colombian food, with grocery store and Colombian products.
In Puro Sumo, Sumito Estévez, a Venezuelan chef, mixes Venezuelan dishes and Asian styles and strives for a “modern and uniquely international” cuisine. Estévez also presents Sumo Placer dedicated to Venezuelan cuisine.
Chef Sumito Estevez, host, Puro Sumo
Cocinando con Fernando Canales is hosted by Fernando Canales, a restaurateur from Bilbao. During the program, he presents his best recipes and practical tricks to help home cooks; shares advice on buying the best groceries and provides dietary and nutrition tips, and recipes for children.
In Gourmet Light, Enrique Fleischmann, a Mexican chef, offers ideas for healthy, delicious dishes with an eye on the waist line. For chocolate lovers there is El Cacao hosted by Mexican José Ramón Castillo.
During Donato Cucina, Donato De Santis, an Italian chef, shares recipes from the diverse regions of his home country. Paulina Abascal spends time sharing baking advice, and Mexican pastry recipes with viewers in Pastelería.mx.
Vme (pronounced veh-meh) is a national Spanish-language television network presented by public television stations. The 24-hour Spanish network available in 10 million homes, offers drama, music, sports, news, current affairs, Latin cinema, food, lifestyle, nature and educational preschool content.
Vme, the first venture of the media production and distribution company, Vme Media Inc., is available free over-the-air, on basic digital cable, nationally via satellite in the basic and Hispanic packages of Dish Network and DirecTV and, in some areas, on Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse.
Posted by Elena del Valle on April 8, 2011
Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Photos: Disney Enterprises, Inc., Peter Mountain
Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp are at it again. Next month a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie will hit theaters nationwide. This time Penélope Cruz, the increasingly popular Spanish actress has joined the infamous pirate troublemakers. Click below to see two videos in English with previews of the film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Pirates of the Caribbean 2011 poster in Spanish
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow
The skull often seen representing The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was transformed for the latest film to include a mysterious X scar on the left side of the face, new beads, a pearl in the gold front tooth, blond streaks in the hair, skeletons hanging from the last trinket on the beaded dreadlock, a hidden Mickey on the left dreadlock and swimming mermaids engraved on the hand guard of the right sword.
Pirates of the Caribbean – click to enlarge
The Skull features the red bandana Captain Jack Sparrow wore in all the films of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. According to promotional materials red was a popular color with pirates, who preferred more colorful dress; it was also a color synonymous with “giving no quarter.”
The crossed swords, or pirates’ cutlasses, purportedly have a special meaning: When the crossed swords face upward, they indicate readiness for battle. When the swords point downward, they signify the end of conflict. Down-pointing crossed swords are a common military symbol on graves or memorials signifying death in battle. On the teaser poster the swords are pointing downward.
Posted by Elena del Valle on November 1, 2010
Singer and song writer Martha Gomez
Photo, song: Martha Gomez, Hope Sings
Beth Blatt first approached Martha Gomez to ask her to write a song free of charge. Oh and by the way could she do it quickly because time was limited. Gomez obliged, writing the song within 48 hours and within less than a week they were in the recording studio.
So was born the theme song for Hope Sings, a new and ambitious company founded by Blatt, a New York resident planning to raise funds in the United States and abroad for microfinance for women around the world and to promote the work of little known musicians. Scroll down to listen to the song La Esperanza Canta in Spanish from the Hope Sings album.
La Esperanza Canta, Spanish for hope sings, is the theme song for the eponymous company. Singer and song writer Gomez wrote and recorded the song inspired by the stories of three women in Nicaragua who benefited from receiving micro loans.
In 2005, Gomez was nominated for the Billboard Latin Music Latin Jazz category with Paco De Lucia, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Nestor Torres and according to promotional information The Los Angeles Times described her as “an exceptional talent with a sublime voice.” She has shared the stage with a wide range of music industry personalities including Mercedes Sosa and Bonnie Raitt, and recently released her fifth album.
“When I began Hope Sings, I knew I wanted a theme song for the project that captured the our spirit, musically and lyrically. We’d gotten lots of songs submitted for theme song, and they were great songs, but none were the right feel. I loved Marta’s work courtesy of the Putumayo collections, but I didn’t know anyone who knew her,” said Blatt who went on to email the Colombian song writer directly. Gomez responded with enthusiasm and traveled to Guatemala to help a micro-financing organization. The Hope Sings mission is “to help women around the world out of poverty by supporting micro-finance.”
Click on the play button to listen to La Esperanza Canta
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 22, 2010
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack cover
Photos: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Early this year Walt Disney Studios released Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue, a 77-minute animated film in English, Spanish and French. The original movie was released in late September 2010 in a blu-ray and DVD combo pack. The Spanish version of the film is narrated by Mexican telenovela actress Dominika Paleta. Additionally, Mexican actress and singer Iran Castillo recorded songs for the film. Scroll down to watch video clips in English and Spanish of Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue.
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue is about the famous fairy’s first encounter with a human, a little girl in the English countryside. The story takes place while Lizzy and her father, an academic type, are in the country. The young girl is a fan of fairies and of course her father discounts them as the subject of fiction. After a slightly bumpy first meeting Lizzy and Tink, as she is called by her friends, develop a special bond. A misunderstanding leads her friends to believe the blond fairy is in danger and they mount a rescue in the midst of a summer shower, a difficult time for fairies because when their wings get wet they cannot fly. After a few adventures all ends well.
Dominika Paleta
Dominika Paleta Paciorek de Ibarra (born October 23, 1972, in Kraków, Poland) is a Polish-Mexican actress. She is the daughter of a Polish violinist Zbigniew Paleta and art teacher Barbara Paciorek Paleta, and the sister of actress Ludwika Paleta.
Dominika has starred in several telenovelas (Spanish language serialized programs) including La Usurpadora, El Alma Herida, Por Un Beso, La Intrusa, Los Plateados and Mañana es para siempre. The actress, who studied art history at the Universidad Iberoamericana de México, and is fluent in Spanish, English and Polish. She is married to actor Fabián Ibarra and has two daughters, Maria and Altana.
Produced by DisneyToon Studios the film is priced at $29.99 DVD and $39.99 for the Blu-ray Combo Pack. The Disney Fairies franchise was built around the popularity of Tinker Bell. Disney also introduced Tinker Bell’s fairy friends Fawn, Iridessa, Rosetta and Silvermist. The billion dollar franchise boasts a thriving publishing and lifestyle merchandising program.
To date, over 675 Disney Fairies and Tinker Bell titles have been published in 57 countries and 31 languages, selling nearly 30 million copies; Disney Fairies magazines have sold over 7.5 million copies in 28 countries and an array of products from apparel and toys to electronics, home décor and stationery across the globe.
The website, DisneyFairies.com, is available in more than 20 territories across North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. Following the success of Walt Disney Pictures Tinker Bell on Disney Blu-ray and hi-def DVD, Disney released Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure in 2009 as the second title in the series.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 2, 2010
Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel in a scene in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Photos, video: Abbot Genser, Walt Disney Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Last month, Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films released Prince of Persia the Sands of Time (see Watch video – Bruckheimer, Disney release Middle Eastern themed adventure movie). They are at it again. On July 16, 2010 they will release yet another remake of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Directed by Jon Turteltaub the movie stars Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Monica Bellucci and Toby Kebbell. The publicity staff released few details and made no advance copies available for screening. Scroll down to watch a trailer.
According to the Internet Movie Database, the movie was filmed in Brooklyn, New York City, and Bryant Park, Manhattan. Those with a long memory may recall the nine-minute segment by the same name in Fantasia, Disney’s well known animated eight part feature set to classical music and produced in the 1930s. The story itself was derived from Goethe’s poem Der Zauberlehrling. In it wizard Yen Sid’s lazy assistant tries to work magic to avoid chores. He gets into trouble because he does not know how to properly control the magic he sets into motion.
In 1980 there was a 22-minute Sorcerer’s Apprentice animated film narrated by Vincent Price. In 2002, there was another film by the same title starring Robert Dav and Kelly LeBrock. Cage and Bruckheimer have a history of working together. This is Cage’s seventh collaboration with the producer following The Rock, Con Air, Gone in 60 Seconds, National Treasure, National Treasure: Book of Secrets and G-Force.
Official poster of the film – click on image to enlarge
In the movie, Dave (Jay Baruchel) appears to be an average college student until Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage), a sorcerer, recruits him as his reluctant assistant. This is followed swiftly by a crash course in magic. Of course it couldn’t be all fun and no danger. Dave has to battle the forces of darkness, in Manhattan, relying on courage he didn’t know he had to survive his training, save the city and get the girl.
Posted by Elena del Valle on June 25, 2010
A scene from The Last Airbender – click on image to enlarge
Photos, video: Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies
The Last Airbende is an avatar able to manipulate the four elements, Air, Water, Earth, and Fire in the hopes of restoring balance to his war torn world. That’s a heavy burden for a young boy to carry. It is no wonder the story is from children’s television. M. Night Shyamalan wrote, produced, directed and converted an animated Nickelodeon TV series into an action film starring Dev Patel, Jackson Rathbone, Nicola Peltz, Cliff Curtis, Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandvi and Noah Ringer. The Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies film opens in theaters nationwide July 1, 2010. Scroll down to see a trailer.
A scene from The Last Airbender – click on image to enlarge
In this first film of the story Aang (Noah Ringer) is caught in the middle of a struggle between his world’s four nations when the Fire Nation declares war against the others. After a century without hope Aang discovers he is the lone Avatar who can manipulate the four elements. The hairless young boy teams up with Katara (Nicola Peltz), a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), to find a way toward peace.
Manoj Nelliattu Shyamalan, known professionally as M. Night Shyamalan, is an Academy Award-nominated Indian American film writer, director, and producer. He is best known for the 1999 film The Sixth Sense, starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, which grossed $600 million worldwide.
Posted by Elena del Valle on May 28, 2010
Nora’s Will poster
José looking through binoculars in Nora’s Will
Photos, video: Menemsha Films
Cinco días sin Nora, titled Nora’s Will in English, is at first glance a film about love and what happens when a woman controls events from the grave, well some events in the lives of her loved ones anyway. On closer inspection, the Spanish language movie with English subtitles provides an opportunity for introspection withing a sad background, peppered with comic moments, of thorny issues relating to death, interpersonal relationships, selfishness, jealousy, professional ethics, suicide and society’s attitude toward it, Jewish and Catholic rites of passage, and hypocrisy that transcend a family’s life.
First time director Mariana Chenillo dedicated 92 minutes to the Mexican movie, first shown in 2008 and now being released by Menemsha Films in select theaters in South Florida. It is scheduled to be in theaters in New York in September and available on DVD later this year.Scroll down to watch a trailer of the film in Spanish with English subtitles.
Nora’s Will stood out at this year’s Ariel Awards held in Mexico City in April. At the event, the Mexican Film Academy named Cinco Dias Sin Nora Best Picture of the Year, Best First Work, and Best Original Screenplay. The judges also recognized its cast, score and make up with awards for Best Actor (Fernando Luján), Best Supporting Actress (Angelina Peláez), Best Original Score and Best Makeup. Chenillo, who wrote and directed the film, is the first woman director to win an Ariel Award for Best Picture.
Jose and Nora in their youth in Nora’s Will
Before dying, Nora, a Jewish woman, develops a plan to make José, her ex-husband, take care of her corpse. What she didn’t plan was that someone discovers a mysterious photograph forgotten under the bed. The incriminating photograph leads to an unexpected outcome which the movie maker designed to remind viewers that “the biggest love stories are sometimes hidden in the smallest places.” But is it a love story?
Director Mariana Chenillo
Chenillo, born in Mexico City in 1977, entered the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica of Mexico City in 1995, where she specialized in film directing. Since then, she has worked as a script girl, production manager, and as a production coordinator with several film directors. As a teacher, she has worked at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica since 2005.
She was able to make the film with grant funding from the National Fund for the Arts and Culture (Jóvenes Creadores 2003-2004), the TyPa Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Hubert Bals Fund, the Mexican Film Institute, the Project Development Program for Operas Primas organized by the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, and the FIDECINE public fund. The movie was shot in October and November of 2007.
Posted by Elena del Valle on May 21, 2010
The Prince of Persia poster
Photos, video: ThinkLatino, Andrew Cooper SMPSP, Disney Enterprises, Inc. Jerry Bruckheimer Inc.
Current thorny political issues with Iran notwithstanding mega successful Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney Enterprises teamed up to make the Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time, a Middle Eastern themed adventure movie based on a video game and due to be released in theaters nationwide May 28, 2010. Scroll down to watch a trailer of the movie.
Like its namesake video game the movie follows an adventure seeking prince and a princess working together to prevent an angry despot from possibly destroying the world. The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Dastan, the young prince, and Gemma Arterton, as the mysterious princess Tamina. They join forces to protect a powerful and ancient dagger capable of reversing time and allowing its possessor to rule the world.
Also in the film, directed by Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), are Sir Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina. The screenplay was by Boaz Yakin and Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard from a screen story by Jordan Mechner. The executive producers are Mike Stenson, Chad Oman, John August, Jordan Mechner, Patrick McCormick and Eric McLeod.
Gyllenhaal and Arterton in Prince of Persia
Academy Award-nominated Gyllenhaal is winner of the 2006 Best Supporting Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the National Board of Review. He also earned Oscar and Screen Actors Guild SAG Award nominations for his performance as Jack Twist in Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain. Gyllenhaal recently completed production on Duncan Jones’ Source Code opposite Michelle Monaghan, and Ed Zwick’s Love and Other Drugs opposite Anne Hathaway due to be released by Twentieth Century Fox November 24, 2010.
Arterton made her feature-film debut in the role of Kelly, the head girl in St. Trinian’s, directed by Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson. In 2008, she played Agent Fields in Quantum of Solace, starring Daniel Craig in his second outing as Agent 007, as well as in the title role in BBC’s adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Arterton had a supporting role in Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla, and appeared in Pirate Radio.
