Entertainment

October 2012 - Posts

  • RED Hearts: Entertainment: Hot for Hispanic Heritage Month

    By Zulay Regalado, 23, reporting from Miami, FL, on her favorite books and foods—and flamenco dress past—to honor Latin American culture

    One of my favorite months growing up was always September 15 to October 15—an intriguing mid-month to mid-month period to honor the many traditions and personalities of the Hispanic and Latin-American community during Hispanic Heritage Month. As a child, it was the one time of the year (besides Halloween, of course) that I could get away with parading around school in my native Cuban ruffled flamenco-style dress. It was also a month filled with all the yummy empanadas and tamales that I could get my hands on, and books—a lot of books.

    Each day was a new opportunity to learn about iconic writers such as Pablo Neruda and Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who paved the road for many Latin-American authors. While I am not currently parading around my college campus in said ruffled flamenco dress, my love for Latin-American literature carries on.

    Here are some of my favorite reads for one of my favorite months of the year:

    Call Me Maria by Judith Ortiz-Cofer
    Fifteen-year-old Maria is a native Puerto Rican living on the island with her mother. When she makes the decision leave her home and move to the barrio of New York with her father, Maria struggles to balance the two layers of her culture. While she's trying to adjust to completely foreign surroundings, she finds an original and life-changing solace in poetry.

    Graffiti Girl by Kelly Parra
    Angel Rodriguez is an independent young woman who lives in a struggling neighborhood. In an effort to overcome her surroundings, she focuses on making a name for herself in the art world through her painting. The road is longer than Angel imagined (of course it is), and she must eventually choose between two graffiti artists who are vying for her talent and her heart.

    Estrella's Quinceañera by Malin Alegria
    While it is tradition in Hispanic culture for a girl's fifteenth birthday to be nothing short of a huge celebration, Estrella wants no part of the cheesy hype. Her mother, however, insists on throwing her the biggest party possible, complete with a mariachi band and an enormous dress. It's a trying time for Estrella as she tries to fight off her mother's dead- set ways, grow into her own person and, most importantly, date a boy who she knows would never be accepted into her family. She's got to grow up someday, no?

    Grab an empanada and enjoy!

  • RED Hearts: Entertainment: Carly Rae Jepser Calls Back

    By Jessica Goodman, 22, reporting from Los Angeles on a new album that lifts the "Call Me Maybe" star out of one-hit wonderdom

    Is it late enough into September to start thinking Billboard's 2012 Song of the Summer has year-round staying power? Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" has hovered in the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for 29 weeks now, and "the most catchiest song I've ever heard" (that's fellow Canadian and CRJ discoverer Bieber talking) has created a YouTube movement, as lip-synced by Harvard's baseball team, Miss USA contestants, Olympic athletes and just about everyone else. It's so infectiously viral that even Cookie Monster has his hand in the jar.

    This is a song you just can't get sick of!

    Which means...this is a singer with a lot of pressure on what comes next. Carly Rae Jepsen's freshman album Kiss was released this Tuesday, and it seems the whole world, Sesame Street to Main Street, is watching. One wonders if she's just another one-hit wonder.

    Even though I went into to this album with that same skepticism, I believe Kiss is more than a maybe vote for Jepsen's staying power. It's a collection of sixteen songs that any girl can relate to. She pretty much puts music to the unspoken words on the tips of our tongues and telephones—those things we know we feel but just don't know how to say.

    "The Kiss," the new single, really captures that universal romantic agony of "The kiss is something I can't resist...I wish it didn't feel like this." I won't tell you how it ends, but it's about learning to trust your heart and take risks.

    I think Jepsen has a huge chance at making it beyond the meme. Her music and her passion remind me a lot of Taylor Swift, who has had tremendous success from album to album. "Call Me Maybe" was just the first sign of what this girl has to offer. I expect we'll be calling for more music for many years and most-vieweds to come.